Master and Weapon
by Obi Shinobi
Summary: He is a demon blade forged of shadow and flame, she is a swords-woman trained in the arts of a prestigious clan; he wants to conquer his foes and become Hokage, she just wants to stay by his side. This is their tale.. Naruto/Souleater Xover. Rated M!
1. Master or Weapon?

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This will be a Naruto/Soul Eater crossover. If you havent watched, read, or even Googled Soul Eater - I suggest you do so.

There will be alot of AU in this story. However, I would like to stick to the canon storyline as much as I can. So we'll see.

Please R&R!

* * *

**Master and Weapon**

_Master or Weapon?_

Naruto watched excitedly as children trickled through the academy's front gate, their parents in tow. It had been a few days since the old man had told him he would be going to "ninja school", but Naruto had already scouted out every part of the school; he had studied the playground, cafeteria, classrooms, bathrooms, everything.. except his classmates. Now as the other children began to collect around the schools front doors, he was seriously considering leaving his hiding spot to go and greet them all. He could barely contain his excitement that he would be going to school with so many people on a daily basis. It seemed the more people that came through the gate; the harder it was for him to stay he would take it upon himself to try and listen to the excited chatter of the growing crowd. Granted, he was a ways off, but could still tune his senses to catch snippets of conversation from the louder people; he wasn't the only excited kid to come to school, that he could tell already. Watching the other children tug at their parents excitedly made him once again ponder where his own parents were..

He never really took the time to think about them much anymore though, and it had served him well. He didn't cry at night anymore; he just accepted his loss and moved on in life – it was a maturity rarely seen in children his age, but Naruto was well-weathered, even at fourteen years old. Being alone most of your life gave you a lot of time to think over life. School would be different though, he was sure of that. Old man Hokage had said that going to school would help him make friends. Naruto smiled at that thought; he could definitely use a few of those.

Out of excitement, he began clawing at the tree limb he was sitting on. The blonde hated the claw-like fingernails that sprouted from his fingers and at the same time had to admit how handy they were. The sharp nails allowed him a lot of leeway in his fights with village kids, but scared more than a few of the nicer kids away. He had effortlessly clawed a few inches into the tree, before he felt something wrong; it wasn't that his claws were making pulp of the thick tree limb, it was the splinters. Some of the splinters were nearly an inch long, but inflicted no pain whatsoever.

He frowned at his hand and pulled one of the offending objects out from under his fingernail. His finger bled quite a bit, but there was no pain.

"Hi!"

Naruto nearly fell from his perch in surprise; he wasn't used to being noticed. Once he regained his wits, he looked down between his knees. Standing directly beneath him was a dark-haired boy with twin red claw tattoos on each cheek.

"Everyone has gone inside already. Aren't you coming?" the boy asked, jerking a thumb over his shoulder toward the school.

Naruto's smile dropped and he looked at the academy in horror. He was going to be late for his first day! In his reverie he hadn't noticed the crowd begin filing into the school doors.

"Yeah! Uh, thanks..?" he croaked awkwardly.

The other boy just smirked and walked off as Naruto dropped out of the tree and sprinted toward the school, spiky blonde hair bouncing like a miniature sun. Neither of them noticed a man standing atop the school, watching amusedly as his cloak billowed out behind him.

_And thus it begins. Good luck, Naruto.._

* * *

Naruto found his class and grinned happily as he took up residence at one of the empty desks. It felt good to sit among the chattering children around him. It made him feel like he was a part of something. As he sat silently and watched the other kids interact, a man with a strange scar across his nose entered the room and set his things on the desk.

Naruto watched as the man wrote his name in big letters on the blackboard before turning to the class and smiling, "Attention everyone! I am Umino Iruka, your teacher!"

The chatter died down as the other children took their seats and observed their new teacher curiously.

"Now I know this is your first day, but I would like to start things off on the right foot."

Naruto grinned to himself. He knew what that meant. "Oi, Oi! Iruka-sensei, does that mean you want introductions?"

Iruka looked at him intently before going back behind his desk to flip through some papers, "That is correct... Naruto-kun. I didn't expect you to be in this class.."

Naruto smiled, then frowned, then let his features go neutral – he wasn't really sure what to do with his face after being addressed. The awkward moment worsened when most of the class eyed him, some discretely, others not so much.

"Anyways-" Iruka continued, "-let's take the roll-call. Naruto first."

Naruto gulped audibly and raised his hand, "Naruto U-uzumaki."

He sunk in his chair as the students slowly followed suite, giving their names; the popular girls of course went first, followed shortly by the male half of the class. The blonde grinned when the boy he had met outside jumped up on his desk and jabbed himself in the chest.

"Yahoo! Inuzuka Kiba at your service!"

A few of the girls in the class groaned, and Kiba spun around on his desk and grinned wolfishly at them."Sup hotties? Wanna have my babies?"

A flurry of expertly aimed textbooks smacked into the boy, knocking him off the desk and into the girl seated at the desk next to him. The girl shrieked as the boy plowed into her and they both ended up in a heap of tangled limbs and textbooks.

Naruto's booming laughed rocked the classroom, joined by a few muffled giggles and the thick chortle of a heavy kid in the back row. He watched amusedly as Iruka crossed the room and helped the two students untangle themselves and return to their respective seats. It would be impossible for anyone to miss the massive blush on the poor girl's face and the cheeky grin of the Inuzuka boy.

He watched as the classroom settled down enough for the rest of the students to finish their introductions and it didn't take long until there was just one girl left to go; everyone waited expectantly for a few minutes, until the boy seated in front of her turned around to give her a curious look, and she realized she had nowhere to hide and got to her feet.

"Hyuga Hinata."

Iruka smiled and nodded to her as she sat back down, "Now that we all know each other's names, let's get to the fun stuff!"

Naruto's eyebrow raised as the classroom door opened and a white-haired man stepped into the room and gave the class a small wave.

"Hello class, my name is Mizuki and I am a buki."

Iruka nodded and held his hand out; to Naruto's surprise, the white-haired man burst into a floating ball of energy and flew into Iruka's hand, only to extend and shape itself into a gigantic shuriken. A boy to Naruto's left stood up and pointed a shaking hand at the giant shuriken.

"Nani! Is that real!"

Iruka chuckled and expertly twirled the _very _real shuriken.

"I don't expect all of you to know about buki and shokunin, and thus a quick explanation is in order."

* * *

Naruto sat and poked at his lunch, he was still digesting all the information from class and couldn't touch his bento box. It was all a bit strange to him, what with some _people_ actually being _weapons_. The blonde pictured some of the ninja he had seen around the village, were the weapons they practiced with..other people?

Buki, a human with the power to become a lethal weapon?

Shokunin, a human gifted with the power to wield the buki in battle?

Naruto sighed and banged his head against the lunch table, earning a few startled gazes from the other students, curious, he looked back at them. _Which of you are buki? Which of you is some kind of sword or something?_

As if answering his question, someone sat next to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"You didn't know about it, did you? I could tell from your reaction this morning."

Naruto turned around and was greeted by the smiling visage of Mizuki. He was about to reply, but stopped when the white-haired man held a finger up to his lips to silence him.

"Shhh, I won't tell anyone. Tell me this though; do you know _what_ you are?"

Naruto frowned and pushed the buki's hand away, "Of course I do! I am shukonin obviously. I have not once woken up on a weapon rack."

"We buki are just as human as you believe yourself to be, boy. You must be truly ignorant to be blind to our existence. For all you know.._you_ could be one of us."

Naruto snorted and watched the white-haired man walk off. Defiance was written on his face, but the seed of doubt was already planted deeply within him. What if he was a weapon too?

Panic struck him and he bolted out of the cafeteria door, leaving his lunch behind. He ran through the hallways and out the front door into the entrance courtyard. As he exited the school, a cool wind tugged at his hair and he exhaled shakily. It felt good to be outside; the school and its revelations were choking him.

He spied the tree he was hiding in before and ran over to it. Using his claws he quickly climbed up into the foliage of the massive tree and relaxed on one of the wider limbs. He sighed in appreciation of the seclusion, and boiled over his thoughts.

If he really was a buki, wouldn't he have known it already? He looked down at his hands and frowned. In his 14 years of life, wouldn't he have transformed or something at some point? So lost in thought was he, that he didn't notice someone crawl up onto the branch beside him.

"How's it hanging, Naruto?"

Startled, Naruto rounded on the voice and nearly fell out of the tree for the second today. He caught himself and exhaled when he recognized the wolf boy from before.

"Oh, uh nothing. Scared me a little bit there, Kiba-san."

The wolf boy smirked and clapped him on the back. "Yea it wasn't _that_ obvious. What're you doing up here?"

Naruto groaned and blabbed his thoughts without even registering it. He was used to talking to the open air about his frustrations, but those conversations were always between himself and whatever inanimate object he chose to share with – not another boy.

"I uh, I just don't know _what_ I am."

"Well, stick your hand down your pants and that should tell ya."

"Yeah, but it's not that easy- wait, what!"

Naruto's head swung around and he eyed the other boy incredulously. Kiba was giggling so hard, no sound was passing through his lips.

"Y-you!"

"Hee-hee! Ahahaha!"

Before realizing it, Naruto began laughing too, the sweet relief of joy soothing the clench of doubt in his stomach. It was a good five minutes before either boy could talk normally again.

Kiba clapped his shoulder and jumped down from the limb, landing nimbly before motioning for him to follow. "C'mon let's find out."

Naruto hesitated a second before jumping down and following the boy out of the school grounds. He was about to ask why, but Kiba just shook his head and led him a few blocks away into a dark alley.

Once they were hidden from view, the wolf boy turned and sighed loudly.

"I'm a shokunin. If I grab your arm and focus my soul power, you will either be burnt or..change into a weapon."

Instinctively he stepped back a bit and waved his hands in front of him, "I don't know, man. This seems a little weird."

Kiba chuckled and nodded in agreement, "Yea, but it's also a little weird that you have no idea what you are. Listen, you obviously don't know how to focus your soul power; otherwise, you'd have realized what you are by now. If you can't do it on your own, someone else has to pump their soul power into you for you to find out."

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his head nervously. So if he was burnt he was shokunin? And if he changed into.._something_, he was buki. Simple in theory, but what if..

"Am I wasting my time? You just want to go into class and not know while Iruka assigns teams?"

Naruto shook his head and held his arm out to the other boy, "I'm just not sure about this.."

Kiba shrugged and held a hand over Naruto's own hand; he could feel a strange power coming off the other boy.

"Is that feeling..is that your soul power?" he asked, curious about the foreign energy.

"It's actually called my 'soul wavelength' but that name is long and lame-sounding."

Naruto exhaled shakily; he was getting nervous and he was sweating, "Let's get this over with."

Kiba nodded and wrapped a hand around his wrist; the wolf boy closed his eyes and Naruto could feel the foreign soul power clash with his body. The seconds turned into minutes, the minutes into hours – he thought about saying something and was beginning to doubt, but silenced his thoughts when Kiba sucked in a loud breath.

"Kami-sama.."

Naruto didn't have time to reply as his world exploded in white light and he felt the alley around them vibrate and buck wildly, and the ground shook and bricks started crumbling off the walls around them. He tried to push Kiba away, but he couldn't feel his arms; he panicked and tried to run, but his legs weren't there. The blonde felt like he was being stretched by invisible hands and soon found himself looking down at the other boy.

_Kiba! Kiba! Let me go!_ he willed himself to say, but his lips wouldn't move.

* * *

Kiba had never been more shocked in his life; where there was once a blond boy, now hovered a massive sword, and not just _any_ massive sword.

The wolf boy had seen plenty of swords in his lifetime, but never one so menacing; not including the elongated hilt, Naruto's buki form must've been a good 6 feet long. The weapon was more of a cleaver than a katana, the blade being nearly 3 feet wide and 2 inches thick, curving upward at the tip like a scimitar. Kiba also noticed in horror that the entire length of the blade was serrated, like some giant saw. The metal was a dark, ominous red color from pommel to sword tip. All along the blade, strange wispy lines of yellow traced themselves across the blade in random patterns.

''_**Kiba! Kiba! Let me go!''**_, a voice boomed from within his head.

The wolf boy's eyes went wide and he stared up at the massive sword in awe.

"Naruto?"

The weapon bucked in his hands, making him fall back against the alley wall.

''_**Kiba! What happened to me!''**_

Kiba tried to laugh, but found his breath short, "Dude..you are a buki."

_Naruto_ shook again violently, and Kiba lost his grip and let go of the hilt. To the wolf boy's surprise, _Naruto_ didn't fall to the ground; the sword floated in place and writhed like a wild thing.

''_**No! You're lying!''**_

"Dude, it's alright! You are the most badass weapon I have ever seen!"

The sword whimpered and threw itself against the alley wall, ripping great chunks of brick and masonry from the building. A massive pulse of soul wavelength bathed the alley, making Kiba grimace as the foul power ripped out more bricks and hurled them around.

"Ch-chill bro!"

He was blown back as another wavelength pulsed from the blade, and tumbled backwards until he slammed against a dumpster.

"Naruto! Curb the soul power! You are going to hurt someone!"

The blade didn't respond and continued to thrash about wildly, cleaving through the buildings like a knife through butter. _Naruto_ was obviously not taking well to being buki, and his anguish showed through the destruction.

Kiba could only hold on to the dumpster for dear life as the red sword and its massive wavelength battered the alley.

* * *

Sarutobi had been filling out paperwork when he felt the massive burst of soul wavelength rock the village, and he promptly turned in his chair and looked out over the village through his office window. The old ninja had felt that foul, demonic wavelength many, many years ago..

_Naruto!_

Without hesitation the Third Hokage of Konoha burst through the window and soared over the village, flying a few blocks before impacting on the street like a meteor. The street where he landed buckled and imploded, carving a wide crater from the brick road.

He kicked off again before the dust settled and flew another block before landing on a tall building, the roof caved in when he landed and he reminded himself to write out some repair bills for the owners. That wasn't important at the moment however; he had to find Naruto.

It didn't take long for another pulse of red wavelength to light up the blonde's position like a firework explosion; he frowned and kicked off the building towards the source of the massive pulse. He landed in yet another crater and rounded the corner, only to be faced with a massive, blood red zanbatou. The blade bucked and ripped a sizeable chunk from one of the buildings, and Sarutobi had to step back as the chunk of wall flew past him.

His ancient brow furled as he watched the demonic blade roar and turn the alley to rubble; it was almost like having a flashback of the incident 14 years ago.

Kyuubi cleaving through buildings and ninja alike..

Blood, shadow and flame painting their colors across Konoha..

The Fourth and his beautiful young bride telling him of their plan..

The sadness he felt while cradling the newborn as he surveyed the destruction done to his village..

He was shook from his thoughts as he felt more and more soul wavelengths headed towards Naruto's position. The village had recognized the massive pulse and was on its way.

"Naruto, you must stop this," he ordered calmly, folding his hands into the sleeves of his robe.

The blade halted and spun around, serrated edge pointed his way.

"_**Oji-san! Why! Why didn't you tell me?"**_

The older man sighed and hung his head; Naruto had always been very blunt, and the only way to talk to the boy was to be just as blunt. The subtle nuances of wordplay would only anger the blonde.

"Your mother was buki, your father a shokunin. You took after her, but never showed signs of transforming so I didn't bother you with it."

The zanbatou pulsed and slashed the air between them; Sarutobi could feel a sickly heat emanating from the blade. It was early Fall, but the heat surrounding the blade made the alley feel like it was Mid-Summer.

"_**You never bothered to explain anything to me!"**_, Naruto countered.

Sarutobi sighed and nodded his wizened head,"I apologize, Naruto, but it is something you will have to accept."

Naruto writhed and shook violently.

"_**And what if I don't want to be a weapon? I want to be normal!" **_

The Hokage shrugged and waved his hands around the village. Naruto wasn't reacting to his transformation into a demon weapon – the poor fool was reacting to the possibility that this turn of events would further alienate him from the village. Naruto's only weakness was his heart – it was so fragile compared the power that fueled his physical self.

"You can! It isn't _abnormal_ to be a buki, Naruto. Your mother was loving, mother, wife, and _woman_. Just because she was a _weapon_, did not make her any less human than your father was. Buki live very normal lives just like anyone else."

_Naruto_ seemed to consider this for a while.

"_**S-so I can still go to school and get married and all that stuff? Even when I am..this?"**_

Sarutobi exhaled in relief and smiled at the massive sword; teenagers were easily upset and easily placated; he'd come expecting the worst.

"Of course, Naruto. There are many buki children at your school! Just because you are a zanbatou doesn't change that you are Uzumaki Naruto, the boy," he soothed expertly.

The sword seemed to calm down and the red pulse receded considerably.

"_**Iruka-sensei explained this all to us in class today, but..it is really different when I changed. It scared me, Oji-san."**_

Sarutobi nodded in understanding and watched out of the corner of his eye as ninja began gathering around.

"I know it did, Naruto. Most children find out when they are toddlers and grow into it. I'm sorry you had to find out on your first day at the academy. Now, would you like to change back for me?"

The red weapon quivered a little bit. "_**I uh.. don't know how.."**_

The older man raised an eyebrow and was about to say something, when a dirt-covered boy came out of the alley. The walking mound of dirt coughed and started to pat itself off.

"Yea that was..my fault. I changed him, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi watched in amusement as the boy finally shook off most of the dirt and gravel and smiled up at him with sharp teeth.

"You used your soul wavelength to transform him, Kiba-kun?"

The wolf boy nodded and cracked his knuckles, "Yep it was easy for a guy like me."

The red zanbatou chuckled at that and bounced up and down a little. "_**He nearly pissed himself, Oji-san. Anyone have a mirror?"**_

Sarutobi smiled. The boy was already at ease with being a buki, he had just needed reassurance that he wasn't any _more_ different from the other kids. Naruto was already somewhat of an outcast, and with the prospect of being a weapon too, Sarutobi could understand the boy's fear.

"No, I don't usually carry one with me. I must admit Naruto, you are quite the intimidating sword. I hope you get paired with someone that doesn't frighten easily."

If anything calmed a young boy, it was being reassured. Sarutobi's compliment about Naruto's sword form sealed the deal and the old man almost felt the boy's tension melt away in an instant, replaced with something akin to newfound pride.

The sword laughed and swung through the air a couple times. "_**Yeah? I guess this isn't so bad.."**_

Kiba chose that moment to speak up."H-hokage-sama! Would it be alright if Naruto and I paired up! Can you imagine how badass of a pair we would be!"

Sarutobi smiled and patted the wolf boy on the head, "Kiba-kun that is not my decision. Iruka will be the one to suggest pairings based upon the skill of both shokunin and buki."

He watched as both weapon and wolf boy deflated visibly; it was a strange sight to see a blade slump over.

"Now let's see what we can do about changing Naruto back.."

* * *

Naruto ran his hands over his body and exhaled in relief, he was finally back to normal thanks to the Hokage. It had been an odd sensation, sealing his power back up after he had felt the wellspring of soul power flood from his sword form. The whole experience had been terrifying, but exciting at the same time. He decided it might not be so bad being a 9 foot long sword in battle - at least he wouldn't have to worry about practicing or working out.

_Yea, this won't be so bad. I just get myself a partner, transform and go to work, easy as cake._

This line of thought brought about a question however; a question that only an adolescent boy would worry about after a potential life-changing and serious discovery.

"Hey, Kiba, did I look _cool _as a weapon?"

The wolf boy turned at being addressed and gave him a cheesy thumbs-up. "Yahoo! You looked badass, man!"

"As cool as I do now?"

Kiba started laughing hysterically and pointed at him, "You serious? The way you look right now? I wouldn't be able to even guess what you looked like as a sword."

The blonde frowned and looked at his orange jumpsuit and blue sandals; he liked the color orange and didn't see what was so wrong with it. "What? I like these clothes."

"Just saying.. You look like a road sign in human form. Your sword form looks like a serial killer's worst nightmare in comparison."

Naruto frowned and self-consciously studied his attire as the two boys finally made it back to school.

* * *

The two boys were scolded for being late for class, but were soon allowed to go to their desks and sit down. Naruto slid into his seat and exhaled in relief, the last thing he wanted was to be singled out in front of the entire room of kids.

He glanced around the room and was happy to note that no one was passing him suspicious glances, well.. no one except the quiet girl in the front.

Naruto saw her watching him out of the corner of his eyes, so he turned and looked right at her. Their eyes met and he was surprised to see that she had no pupils! The girl's solid white orbs widened in surprise when he caught her looking and she quickly turned her head.

He smirked and sent her one more glance before sinking in his seat to listen to Iruka's lecture.

"Ok class, now that everyone is here, let's start assigning pairs."

A murmur went up from the class, especially from the excited young girls. One of them, a pretty girl with blond hair raised her hand.

"I thought shokunin were supposed to pick their buki."

Iruka smiled and shook his head, "Sorry, Ino, that isn't how things work at the academy."

Naruto watched the girl pout before lowering her hand. He noticed she was occasionally sending glances across the room, so he turned to see who she was spying on, and immediately sighted the most probable candidate for the girl's glances.

A handsome, dark-haired boy sat in the corner, an annoyed frown frozen on his face and he looked like he would rather be killing some small creature than sitting in a class room. The boy wore a dark blue shirt and white shorts, with plain blue sandals. From what Naruto could tell, he really didn't care for the girls that were sending him longing glances.

_Odd._

The blonde's attention was brought back to the front of the room when Iruka cleared his throat.

"Now, I would like to start by having all the shokunin come to the front of the class."

There was a scraping of chairs as a good amount of the students stood and made their way to stand in front of the class. Naruto tried to remember their names from earlier, but could only pick out a few.

He recognized Kiba immediately, who had jumped up on Iruka's desk and was babbling about finding a buki worthy of conquering the world with.

The blonde girl he recognized as Ino, who wasn't at all happy when the dark-haired boy joined the shokunin at the front of the room.

Naruto didn't have to think of the other ones names, because Iruka chose that moment to talk.

"Ok, this is our shokunin class. Everyone if you would please state your names again I would appreciate it."

The dark-haired boy grunted and looked out of the class.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

The blonde girl next to him frowned.

"Yamanaka Ino."

Kiba was next of course, and did a back flip on the desk.

"Yahoo! Inuzuka Kiba!"

Another boy wearing a trench coat and dark sunglasses was next.

"Aburame Shino."

Finally, the quiet girl bowed and looked at her feet.

"Hyuga Hinata."

Iruka smiled and motioned for the students to go back to their seats. Naruto watched as they all filed back to their seats and felt his stomach twist. He knew what was coming next but couldn't do anything about it. As if on cue, Iruka cleared his throat.

"Ok, will our buki now come forward and tell us your names."

Naruto and the rest of the class trudged to the front of the room and lined up. A girl to Naruto's left was bouncing with excitement and went first.

"Haruno Sakura."

Another girl on the other side of him smiled politely and waved.

"Higoya Tsubaki."

A pineapple-haired boy wearing fishnet grumbled.

"Nara Shikamaru."

Following Shikamaru's lead, the large red-headed boy that sat in the back spoke up.

"Akimichi Choji."

It was finally Naruto's turn and he sighed. From here on he was a buki, and would have to learn to deal with it. He looked up and saw Kiba grinning like a mad man at him.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Iruka came and patted him on the back then leaned down and whispered in his ear, "I hope you understand that I can't pair you with any of my students, Naruto. Your little display earlier today has put doubt into a lot of parents' minds."

Naruto was about to reply, but was pushed forward as the rest of the kids went to their seats. He felt embarrassed and singled out once again. He knew instinctually that he wasn't any normal buki, the reactions of the village and the old man had told him that. He had _scared_ the most powerful man in the village and it worried him. Why would the _Hokage_ rush to stop him after his first transformation?

Once again, his chain of thought was broken when Iruka spoke up. He needed a spot to piece together the day, somewhere quiet.

_When is this day ending? _He pondered, looking around the room for a clock.

"Ok class, the pairings have been decided already, and we at the academy hope you can synchronize with your chosen partners.."

All the students focused their attention on Iruka, all except Naruto that is. He wouldn't have a partner.

"First team is: Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke."

The dark-haired boy barely had time to groan before a pink blur flew across the room and tackled him in a hug.

"Second team is: Yamanaki Ino and Nara Shikamaru."

The platinum blond yowled like a dying cat and dropped her head on her desk. The fishnet-wearing boy sighed and went to sit beside her in the seat Sakura had vacated.

"Third team is: Aburame Shino and Akimichi Choji."

The two boys shot each other curious glances. Two boys on a team obviously wasn't what they had pictured but Iruka assured them that it was perfectly normal.

Before Iruka had time to get back to his list, Kiba jumped up on his desk and struck a pose.

"Fourth team is: Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto! Also known as Team Badass, A.K.A Team God! Yahoo!"

The whole class looked up at the wolf boy and then to Naruto who groaned and covered his face. Iruka growled and pushed a protesting Kiba back into his seat.

"Sorry about that, kids. The fourth team is: Inuzuka Kiba and Higoya Tsubaki."

Kiba pushed Iruka away and jumped up onto another desk. The wolf boy shielded his eyes and peered around the room like a captain at sea.

"Oi! Tsubaki! Come before me."

The pretty, dark-haired girl giggled and walked over to sit on the desk Kiba was standing on. He grinned like a fool and gave her a thumbs-up; Tsubaki returned the thumbs-up and winked. It was almost as if they'd been friends for a lifetime. The rest of the class looked on in wonder at the patience of the girl. Usually people didn't put up with Kiba's flamboyant attitude, but Tsubaki didn't seem to mind at all.

Iruka smiled and walked back to his desk; everyone watched as he began to gather his things.

Ino decided to speak what was on everyone's mind, "Iruka-sensei? What about Naruto and Hinata? Are they the fifth team?"

Iruka finished packing his things before turning to the class and shaking his head.

"Uh sorry, no, Hinata will have to wait for another graduate partner to be paired with, or find her own."

The class began to murmur, and Naruto watched as the lavender-eyed girl looked between him and Iruka in confusion.

Sasuke scowled and voiced his own opinion, much to the surprise of everyone present, "That doesn't make any sense. Why not just pair them up?" he asked.

Iruka sighed and set his bag down.

"It isn't that simple, kids. I'm sure Hinata is an outstanding shokunin; I could expect no less from the Hyuga. The problem is Naruto, he is not a buki fit for anyone here."

Naruto felt his throat tighten as everyone looked his way; he cursed Iruka for putting him on the spot, he cursed himself too for leaving the poor girl without a partner, and finally he cursed his luck for being a weapon that both Iruka and the Hokage deemed dangerous.

The old man had promised that things for him would be normal, but things weren't turning out that way. He wouldn't have a partner or a normal school year; he would end up an outcast again.

The students around him murmured and frowned at Iruka. He was grateful for that at least; the class wasn't against him.

He didn't want to cause trouble for the older man though and decided to chip in, "It's alright. I kind of saw this coming."

His classmates turned and looked at him; he could see their confused eyes but couldn't bring himself to explain, instead he got up and turned to Hinata.

"I'm sorry, Hinata-san."

The girl looked at him sadly. It was obvious she was just as confused as everyone else.

"Don't be Naruto-kun. I-I didn't expect to be paired with a buki anyways."

The class turned their attention over to Hinata. This caught the attention of the Uchiha's buki and Sakura took her attention from her partner long enough to look over at the Hyuga girl curiously.

"But aren't the Hyuga clan some of the best shokunin in the world? Why wouldn't a buki want to be paired with you?"

The rest of the class nodded and agreed. Even Naruto had heard of the combat prowess of the fabled clan of warriors. They supposedly had the power to see into one's soul, if you believed the rumors. Hinata however, seemed far from a warrior and shook her head embarrassedly.

"Ah, yes, well my clan is known for that. Me however, I have yet to be paired with a buki."

More murmurs sprung up from the children and more than a few questions were hurled her way. Iruka was quick to intervene, and soon had the class packing up their things to leave school. The bell rang and the students began heading for the doors.

Naruto noticed that the students had already split into their teams and were walking together. He was surprised at how fast the different children had split from their friends to be with their new partners. It made him grimace when he saw Hinata slip out of the room quietly before anyone could question her further.

He watched the teams leave together and slowly slung his bag over his shoulder and plodded out of the school's front entrance. He sighed and walked slowly, enjoying the cool evening breeze that brushed his face.

Someone whistled and his head popped up to see Kiba and Tsubaki sitting on the swing under 'his' tree.

"Yo! Naruto come join us!"

He smiled weakly and walked over to them. The two complete strangers seemed completely in sync as they swung lazily.

Tsubaki looked up at him and smiled sadly, "Kiba told me why they won't let you be paired up. I'm sorry, Naruto."

The blonde snorted and waved the apology off.

"It's cool. Hinata will probably find a buki that is better for her anyways."

He sighed and went to lean against the tree while the two swung beside him. The three ninja were silent for a moment before Kiba got up and walked over to lean against the tree too.

"Sorry about that man. It was my fault that everyone saw you all..you know, destroying stuff."

Naruto chuckled and shook his head, "Nah, it's alright. I found out what I am, so I should really be thanking you. I just wish I knew how to turn it off and on."

The two boys pondered that for a moment. Tsubaki broke their concentration however, as she began to giggle.

"Kiba is not the person to be pondering that with!"

The wolf boy turned and scowled at his partner.

"Oh? And I suppose you could teach him how to control _that_ kind of power?"

The girl nodded and winked at the two boys, "You bet."


	2. Team 5

**Master and Weapon**

_Team 5_

Naruto sighed and blinked into the sun; it was steadily falling from the sky and he wished he had ended his crash-course in buki powers earlier. Training separately with Team Four after class had made him come to appreciate his resting time. School was helpful, but without a partner he couldn't exactly gain anything but book knowledge from Iruka's lectures.

He'd learned a lot from Tsubaki in these first couple days. The most important were a few simple exercises that gave him some control of his wavelength, nothing too complicated but it was enough to give Naruto an idea of what he needed to do to control the bursts of wild power. It had been a strange feeling when he focused it a little too much and his right arm transformed into a wicked looking red blade. This incident had given Naruto a small picture of what his full form looked like and knew Kiba was right; he needed a new wardrobe.

The blonde stewed over the week's events as he walked slowly through the barren streets. Most of the villagers had already gone home but he didn't mind, it felt good to relax a bit and let his mind wander.

There were ups and downs he had to admit, but overall he was rather pleased with how things had turned out. He now had two real friends: Kiba and Tsubaki, apparently he was some kind of 'badass red zanbatou', or so Kiba had said; lastly, he knew who his parents were.

Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina, affectionately referred to by the village as 'God's Hands'.

Old man Hokage had told him a little about them and he had felt a little piece of himself click back into place. It was little more than their names and legend, but it comforted him all the same.

Besides that, Naruto did, however, regret some things that had happened as of late, like nearly tearing down those two buildings; he made a mental note to apologize to the owners.

Finally, the real downer of the week was because of him, Hinata would be forced to try and go through the year on her own; the heiress would be the only shokunin without a weapon and he felt sorry that she would have to suffer because of him.

He had pondered how to make things better for the girl, but none of the options seemed more appealing than simply using their sensei's words against him. Iruka-sensei had said Hinata could either 'wait for another graduate or find her own'..

That meant she could just 'find' him on the grounds before class and ask him to be her buki, right? He frowned again and scratched his head; it seemed too easy of a fluke in the system.

So lost in thought was he that he failed to notice a pair of lavender eyes watching him from one of the shop roofs that lined the street.

* * *

As he was passing the Hokage tower Naruto thought he could hear arguing coming from above him. Raising his blond head, he peered up at the massive stone building and could faintly make out a shattered window near the top of the tower. Naruto listened intently as voices floated down to him; he recognized the Hokage's voice, but the other voice was foreign to him and it held a bit of outrage. Naruto winced when the stranger's voice boomed out through the window; someone was not happy with Old Man Hokage.

Throwing caution to the wind, Naruto took the steps three at a time. As the blonde raced up the tower he hoped whoever was getting angry at the Hokage would have enough sense to stop before they took a long plunge from a high window. Putting more speed into his step, Naruto shot through the door at the top of the stairs and sped down the familiar halls towards Sarutobi's office. He knew the tower like the back of his hand, as he often spent a lot of time with the village patriarch, so it didn't take long before rounded a final corner and slid to a halt when the Hokage's secretary held out a delicate hand to stop him.

"Not now, Naruto. The Hokage is meeting with someone."

The blonde growled and jabbed a clawed finger at the door. "Whoever it is, he is going to get pummeled if he keeps up that tone with Oji-san!"

The pretty, middle-aged woman giggled and motioned for the blonde to sit. "I wouldn't be so sure, Ruto-kun."

He frowned at the nickname she used for him but took a seat anyways. The secretary smiled warmly at him and turned back to some paper work she had been doing.

Naruto watched her for a while; the secretary had seen him enough times that the two shared an understanding. The kind woman was one of the few adults that treated him nicely and he did his best not to disappoint her, so he reluctantly settled himself down to wait.

The shouting continued.

* * *

Sarutobi sighed and held his hands out pleadingly. His guest had a reason to be furious, but it was getting late and the argument was getting stale.

"Please calm yourself, Hiashi."

Hyuga Hiashi, patriarch of the mighty Hyuga clan and wielder of the Byakugan eye scowled in response.

"I will not, Hokage-sama! My precious flower is once again denied a buki partner! This is the third time this has occurred! Not to mention all the non-students I've tried to hire!"

Sarutobi nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, yes, I know that. I am not in direct control of the classes however, so I don't know what you want me to say."

The white-eyed man stomped his foot in frustration.

"Give her the only other buki left in the class! That Uzumaki boy has no shokunin."

The Hokage groaned and dropped his head on the desk.

"Hiashi there was an incident with that boy earlier this week and Iruka has good reason to keep your daughter from partnering with Naruto."

Hiashi stomped his foot again and crossed his arms, "I felt that wavelength, Sarutobi; I know what that boy is capable of. All the more reason to entrust him to the hand of a Hyuga, my clan is renowned for wielding buki of extreme power!"

The older man nodded and chuckled tiredly.

"This is different, old friend. There is a possibility that not even_ you_ could wield that boy, much less your precious Hinata."

Hiashi yowled in outrage and pouted like a child.

"Hmph! I am more than enough Hyuga for that buki. My sweet little dumpling could handle that boy with her eyes closed!"

"Hiashi why don't you just find someone else for her? There are plenty of older and younger candidates. Do you really want those two paired up so badly?"

Hiashi burst into tears and dropped to his knees, "Hinata came home in tears. She told me all about the Uzumaki boy and how she had once again been denied a buki partner! She was so distraught that not even my cheerful dancing could get her to smile!"

Sarutobi could only gawk at the wailing man before him. He knew Hiashi to be extremely protective of his clan, but this was a little overboard. The white-eyed man went to even more extremes by falling onto the floor and kicking his legs in the air.

"I'm a horrible Papa! I can't do anything for my little girl!"

The Hokage didn't know exactly how to handle the bawling patriarch so he did what all adults do to placate crying children, he gave Hiashi what he wanted.

"Hiashi, if you will stop making a mess of my floor rug.. I will speak to Iruka. I will also talk to Naruto, as I am sure he would be delighted to have your daughter as his shokunin. Just please..get up off the floor."

The white-eyed man shot up off the floor and brushed himself off. He wiped his eyes and sniffled a bit before coughing and bowing to the Hokage.

"That is all I ask, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi marveled at the drastic change in the man before him. One second he had been bawling like a spanked baby, and now he was being as regal as a king. Then again, Hiashi was a father, and everyone knew fathers did crazy things for their daughters.

He watched Hiashi do an about-face and march to the door, only to swing it open and step halfway through before turning back to look at him.

"You won't regret this."

Sarutobi groaned in reply as the Hyuga man stepped through the door and slammed it behind him.

_I sure hope not._

_

* * *

_

Naruto stood up as Hiashi stepped out of the office and turned to look at him, awed in the presence of the Hyuga clan head. That awe was soon replaced by shock however, when the white-eyed man picked him up and hugged him. Naruto tried to protest, but Hiashi didn't seem to hear him as he was spun around a few times.

The Hyuga man laughed giddily and squeezed the air from his lungs, "Ah! Naruto my boy! You are going to make little Hinata so happy! She will just have to love her Papa after what I've done for her!"

Naruto couldn't reply as he was being suffocated by the older man's iron grip. Hiashi apparently took the blond boy's silence as surprise and nodded happily before setting him down.

"Yes, I know you're surprised! I am too! I'm on my way to tell her right now!"

Before Naruto could utter a word, Hiashi swept out of the room, white robe billowing behind him as he sped away. He blinked a few times, then sent a confused glance at the secretary.

"Huh?"

The woman shrugged, looking just as confused as he was.

"I have no idea, Ruto-kun.."

Naruto decided not to ponder the man's actions for long and instead opened the door to the Hokage's office; the door squeaked a little and he cautiously peeked inside. He was relieved when Sarutobi waved at him and smiled.

"Ah..Naruto. Come for a lesson?"

Naruto chuckled lightly and entered the office, shutting the door behind him.

"One of my classmates is actually teaching me on the side, Oji-san. But..uh, I heard shouting from outside?"

The older man smiled and motioned for Naruto to sit down, which he did.

"Ah, must be one of your buki friends then?"

"Yes, it is Tsubaki-chan if you must know. Why was that guy arguing with you?"

Sarutobi groaned and rolled his eyes comically, "That was Hinata's father, Hyuga Hiashi. He came to formally request that you be paired with his daughter. I gave him my word that It would happen, but I would like to hear what you're thoughts are first."

Naruto hadn't expected to hear that. Hadn't Iruka forbid him from even having a partner? More importantly why would the girl's father come and argue about it?

The older man could apparently sense his confusion and let out a deep chuckle.

"Hiashi-san is a very proud man and his declining relationship with his wife has caused him to dote on his two daughters more than usual. He is constantly trying to find ways to 'sparkle' in their eyes. Apparently Hinata was upset when she came home earlier this week and her father took it into his own hands."

Naruto grimaced at that, he hadn't expected the quiet girl to be so upset; Hinata had seemed fine during class..

"Uh sure, I mean we are the only two without a partner so it only makes sense."

"Bah Naruto! I asked for your thoughts, not your perspective on a problem. Do you think that you and this girl could synchronize with each other?"

He gave Sarutobi a confused look. _Synchronize?_ He shook his head slowly, figuring it was yet another thing he didn't know about buki and shokunin. The surprised look on the old man's face told him his guess was right.

"Oh dear boy! For a shokunin and buki to fight effectively in battle they must match soul wavelengths!"

If possible, his face adopted an even more puzzled look.

"Huh?"

Naruto watched as the Hokage rummaged in his desk for a bit before producing two drinking bowls and a bottle of sake. His interest was piqued when the older man pulled the cork from the small bottle and filled both bowls.

"Uh, Oji-san..I'm not old enough to drink yet.."

"Watch the ripples," the Hokage ordered calmly.

Naruto peered over the two bowls as Sarutobi dipped his finger in the sake and let a few drops fall into each bowl; the alcohol rippled a little and went still. The older man cackled and downed one of the bowls, pushing the other one towards him.

"Old enough to die, old enough to drink. Bottoms up!"

Naruto sighed and copied the Hokage by draining the alcohol in one go. He coughed a little bit but held it down as it burned his throat; across from him, Sarutobi smirked.

"Light-weight! Anyways, did you see the ripples and how different they were?"

"Yea, but.."

He watched as Sarutobi filled the bowls again and repeated the same process as before, except this time he matched the droplets exactly. The two bowls rippled in unison.

"Our souls are like ethereal hearts that beat every second. Every time your soul 'beats' it causes 'ripples' of soul energy to flow from you, these ripples are called wavelength."

Naruto's mouth formed a perfect 'oh' and he tried to say something but the older man cut him off.

"If your soul ripples are not the same as your partner and are clashing with each other, your fighting ability will be drastically decreased. However, if you and your partner's wavelengths are matching and flowing together, you will be able accomplish amazing things."

The blonde frowned at the explanation and scratched his head; it made sense in a weird way, but still didn't explain everyone's apprehension about him being teamed with someone. Naruto needed to know just what was putting most people on edge.

"Oji-san, there is something different with my wavelength isn't there? It isn't normal is it?"

He watched as Sarutobi sighed and drained the last bowl of alcohol.

"Your particular wavelength is extremely large, Naruto. Whereas most kids your age would be giving off enough soul power to cause ripples like a stone dropped on a still pool; your wavelength is a bit more like tidal waves on the ocean."

"Huh..?"

Naruto didn't understand. What made his wavelength so large and abnormal? What did that all mean? Was no one able to synchronize with a tidal wave..?

"I don't get it, Oji-san. Why would I have that much extra soul power to give off?"

"Because..Naruto, it isn't just _your_ soul. Another soul is bound within yours and it has been expanding and strengthening yours since you were a baby. In two, three, maybe four years.. your soul power will dwarf my own completely."

Naruto could only gape at the old man across from him. He was sharing his soul? With whom! What kind of thing could _stretch_ his soul out like that?

Sarutobi saw the question before it left his lips and cut him off.

"The immortal and ancient soul of Kyuubi no Kitsune is bound to yours. It was the dying legacy of your father that he sealed the Nine-Tails within you to save the village."

"B-but, a demon! I know the stories about my father, but..I was the child from that legend?"

Naruto felt his head swirl and he had to grab the desk in front of him to avoid falling over; it was too much for his mind to sift through. All the hatred from the villagers, all the scared looks from children and adults alike; this whole time he had thought that it might be something he had done, but turns out it was what something _inside_ of him had done years ago.

He groaned and leaned his head against the oaken desk. Naruto almost wanted to laugh, the whole week was turning out to be a big revelation about his life; it was surreal. It also explained a lot of things to him, mysteries that had plagued his mind now had an answer.

The villagers hatred? It was the demon.

His freakishly large wavelength? It was the demon.

His lack of parents? It was the demon.

His..loneliness? It was the_ fucking_ demon..

A hand rubbed his back gently and he smiled weakly at the old man's attempts to comfort him; Oji-san had always been there for him, that calmed him; at least the _Hokage_ saw him as something more than a demon.

"Oji-san..thanks."

"What for Naruto? I feel as though you should hate me for this."

Naruto shook his head and smiled weakly.

"It would have killed me a few years ago, but I can honestly say it doesn't sting as bad as I thought it would. At the very least, it gives me answers to things I had always wondered about."

He watched as the Hokage leaned against the desk next to him and raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Naruto-kun, I am surprised at how maturely you are handling this. I was more than prepared to cradle you while you bawled like a baby."

The blonde chuckled lightly and sucked in a breath.

"Don't tempt me, Oji-san."

The two shared a tense laugh and Naruto got to his feet; he had a lot to think over and wasn't really in the mood for more life-changing secrets.

"So, basically my agenda for tomorrow is: go find Hinata and see if she wants to synchronize with me, go to class, train with Tsubaki, and finally learn how to cope with my infinitely strange life."

Sarutobi smirked at his sarcasm and nodded.

"That..and you need to find a new apartment."

"What for? I know mine sucks, but I don't have time to move right now."

Naruto watched the old leader flop down ungracefully in his chair and distractedly begin to muse over some paperwork. He was about to speak up when Sarutobi dropped the bombshell.

"Buki and Shokunin teams live together. For you and Hinata to synchronize, it is a necessary measure.."

Naruto was out the door and racing from the tower before the Hokage finished the sentence. He was not in the mood for another shock to the brain.

* * *

The morning sunlight beamed down happily on the ninja village. Naruto groaned and forced his sluggish legs to keep moving, he hadn't slept much that night and by the time he had dozed off..it was already time to get up for school. He could already predict the early mornings would be a problem for him.

So he found himself trudging through the abandoned streets on his way to the academy, when Kiba and Tsubaki joined him. Kiba being his usually energetic self gave his typical calling-card greeting.

"Yahoo! Naruto! Wassup maaan! Oomph!"

Naruto glanced over just as Tsubaki, frightened from Kiba's sudden outburst, planted a fist in the back of the wolf boy's head, sending her loud partner flying across the street. The boy-bullet smashed through a shop window and Tsubaki's eyes widened in horror as she raced after him.

"Kiba! S-sorry!"

Naruto couldn't hold back his laughter as the girl pulled Kiba from the shattered store front. Other than a few scrapes the boy seemed fine, and to the blonde's surprise, Kiba smiled widely and grabbed Tsubaki's arm and held it up in the air.

"Yahoo! Look at them guns! Wow, Tsubaki, you really pack a punch!"

"Thanks, Kiba, but are you alright? You aren't hurt, are you?"

Naruto smiled at the doting weapon girl, she really seemed concerned for her knuckleheaded shokunin; he wondered for a moment if the bond between weapon and master was like that for everyone. Kiba's booming voice brought his attention back from his thoughts.

"Sure am!..wait don't touch that.."

The blonde watched as Tsubaki pulled a sizeable chunk of glass from Kiba's skull. The wolf boy yowled in pain and ran away with the girl on his heels apologizing like a broken record.

He grinned at the pair, his sharp teeth making the gesture look a little menacing - his friends definitely were unique, and he had to give them props for originality.

He paused. _His_ friends? Kiba and Tsubaki really were his friends weren't they? It was a nice feeling.

* * *

It didn't take long before Naruto caught up to his friends and they chatted idly as they entered the school and found their classroom. The blonde could see everyone was present; all the teams were present, shokunin and buki sitting side by side. Only he and Hinata sat alone, like the black ducklings amongst the fluffy yellow ones.

Tsubaki and Kiba invited him to lunch later and went to their seats, Kiba chattering about the finer tastes of beef ramen and Tsubaki agreeing happily. He watched them go then turned his attention back to the girl with the lone desk. Apparently her 'Papa' had forgotten to give Hinata the big news.

Naruto sighed and slid his desk all the way across the room, earning the attention of the entire class.

The kids started whispering and he saw Sasuke send him a curious glance, "Uzumaki, where are you going with your desk?"

He didn't reply and steered his desk around the pairs of students; leave it to the Hokage and Hiashi to make Naruto deal with handling his new partner. He took the last few steps and purposefully rammed his desk into Hinata's, who had been napping. Apparently the girl hadn't slept much either and she woke with a start.

"Ah!"

Naruto smirked when the girl's pale eyes blinked and then looked up at him. Hinata didn't say anything, but he could see the surprise.

"Yo."

"Umm, what are you doing?"

He shrugged and plopped down lazily in his seat beside her.

"Sitting."

Naruto leaned back and propped his arm up on the back of Hinata's chair. If the girl couldn't put two and two together this would be a tense partnership.

Hinata's eyes went wide and a smile tugged at the sides of her mouth. Naruto swore he could see the light come on in her brain.

"No.."

"Yes. Nice to meet you, _partner_."

Naruto had to clap his hands over his ears at the excited shriek that emanated from the girl's mouth. The rest of the class was just as surprised and Kiba even feel out of his seat.

"How! I thought I couldn't have you as my buki!"

"Mmm, your Papa pulled some strings."

The blonde smiled when Hinata narrowed her eyes at the mention of her father, a little pink tinged her cheeks.

"He didn't do anything embarrassing did he? Oh god.."

"I only heard him through a door, but it sounded like standing inside a daycare. Your Papa sure can drop some crocodile tears."

Naruto laughed when his new partner groaned and smacked her forehead.

"It's so embarrassing; I can't say I don't appreciate it though. I thought this was going to be another year without a partner. You're my first."

Naruto's eyebrow climbed up to his forehead and he turned to smirk at the girl. Something about this girl – her shyness brought out his bravado, her blush brought about his sparkling grin – she made him feel alive.

"I'm you're first huh? I always wanted to hear that from a pretty girl.."

"Huh..? Oh god! N-no, I didn't mean it like that!"

He broke into a deep laugh and waved her off. Hinata smiled in good nature, but her cheeks had turned a deep crimson.

"Haha! I know, Hinata! It was a joke!"

The Hyuga girl giggled and fanned her burning cheeks.

"Don't do that!"

Naruto curbed his laughing and nodded at her; he was already getting along with his new partner. Synchronize with this girl? No problem.

He watched her laugh and couldn't help but smile; Hinata looked like a completely different person when she was laughing, nothing like the shy girl from yesterday.

"You should smile more," he said, "it is refreshing to see."

The white-eyed girl smiled weakly at him and he noticed her start to twiddle her fingers.

"I haven't really had any reason to smile lately to be honest. Things usually don't go my way."

Naruto frowned, that wasn't something he had expected to hear. Weren't the Hyuga one of the richest and most prominent clans in existence? Shouldn't an heir to that clan get whatever she desired?

"What do you mean?"

Hinata sighed and shook her head.

"It's just that I am unlucky. My former buki partners couldn't synchronize with me..at all. My Papa has tried to even_ hire_ buki to partner with me, but eventually even they would leave."

"Well, fourth or fifth time is a charm? I am new to being a buki so hopefully we can both help each other out."

The blonde saw the appreciation shine in the girl's eyes. If he had to guess she was almost to the point of 'happy tears'.

"I'm so glad. It's embarrassing to admit, but I was starting to get really doubtful that I would become a shokunin at all."

"Bah, we will show all the doubters what we can do, once..I get my transformation down that is."

Hinata looked over at him quizzically.

"What kind of weapon are you by the way? I've been paired with a spear, a battle-axe, a scythe, and a couple of katanas so far."

"Eh, I haven't exactly _seen_ myself yet, but Kiba tells me I am a zanbatou?"

Naruto watched the girl's eyes widen in surprise, apparently Hinata was surprised that he couldn't transform and he grinned embarrassedly.

"What? I swear if I could transform when I wanted to I would've seen myself by now.."

"No, it's not that. I just..I don't know if I'll even be able to lift you."

The two partners looked at each other and blinked. In unison the both broke into a fit of giggles, earning themselves weird looks from their peers.

* * *

Hinata giggled for the first time a good long while, and it felt good to feel her abs tighten and her cheeks warm. For so long she had been only managing to scrape by, but now things were finally looking up.

She had a buki! Finally a weapon that promised to stick around! Naruto's laugh was deep and refreshing; like the cool trickle of stream, it washed the doubt from her mind.

Uzumaki Naruto. _Her_ buki. _Her_ partner. _Her_ new friend. She couldn't help but smile.

The blonde boy smiled back at her and squeezed her shoulder gently.

"I think we are going to get along just fine."

She felt her cheeks heat a little and she cursed the two road signs that adorned her face. No matter what she did, those cheeks would give away her emotion so easily.

Naruto's hand was warm and strong as it squeezed her just enough to let her know he was there; it was the most romantic thing she had experienced in her short life. Then again, everything the boy did made her blush or mutter or do something. Hinata knew she must seem so naïve, but her body couldn't help but react to the foreign sensation. A boy had never acted so warmly towards her and it made her face flush constantly.

Hinata sighed and relaxed her tense shoulders, leaning back in her seat.

"I think we will too."

* * *

Naruto chuckled as the normally tense girl relaxed and slouched in her seat. Hinata seemed to melt every time he smiled at her or touched her, hell, she blushed whenever he even looked at her. It made him feel a little uncomfortable so he took back his hand and decided to initiate the small talk.

"Uh, Hinata? You wouldn't perchance know why Iruka didn't want us to team up, would you?"

"Nope."

He smirked at the quaint reply and almost laughed at the content look on the girl's face, Hinata was REALLY relieved to have a partner.

"Well, it is because I have a bit of a _wild_ wavelength. Oji-san said it was possible that my wavelength would be larger than his within a year or two."

This caught the girl's attention and she sat up in her seat and looked over at him.

"Are you saying I won't be able to handle you?"

Naruto noticed the hint of worry in the girl's voice and he quickly shook his head and smiled at her.

"Not at all. I am just saying that it will most likely take a lot of work to get us synchronized. Like..twice as long as everyone else."

"That's alright, as long as you will be patient with me. I may not be the prodigy that my cousin is, but I will give it the good old Hyuga try."

He laughed lightly and looked at Hinata curiously. The girl quirked her eyebrows and made a face as if to say 'what?'.

"Nothing, I just didn't expect you to be so cool. You seemed so shy and demure.."

Hinata blew a raspberry at him and grinned.

"I am shy, but we are practically family now; I am myself around family."

"Are the other Hyuga the same way?"

The girl shook her head and sighed.

"Not really. Papa, Mama, my little sister and I are close though. Well, we were until stupid Papa had to cheat on my mother.."

Naruto saw the signs of a bad sea and steered his ship around it.

"Anyways, I don't really know how this whole weapon and master thing goes.."

Hinata giggled and shook her head.

"It isn't master and weapon, its Naruto and Hinata or _Team 5_ if you prefer."

"Sorry."

He smiled when the girl sighed in mock annoyance.

"I guess its fine, what with you being a newbie buki and all. Now there isn't really much to the whole 'weapon and master thing'. It is simple - we do everything together."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and started to say something, but Hinata shushed him.

"No buts! We train together, eat together, sit together, everything.. together."

"Everything..?"

He winked slyly and Hinata's cheeks flushed.

"Don't start that again! I just meant that we need to spend most of our time together so we can synchronize our wavelengths!"

"I know, I know, Hinata. Won't you get sick of me though?"

Hinata started to shake her head violently, but stopped and narrowed her eyes at him.

"What are you getting at?"

"Nothing at all. Please continue."

Naruto couldn't help but guffaw whenever she finally did start talking again, and she yowled and smacked him over the head.

"I knew it! You are such a pervert, Naruto."

"You just set yourself up for it. I am good at making Oji-san look like a fool too."

She was about to reply, but Iruka chose that moment to enter the classroom.

"Alright class, let's get started with today's lesson.."

* * *

Sasuke watched the newly formed, Team 5. If he didn't know better he could've sworn the two had been friends for years. They laughed and teased like best friends, and it made him want to puke. The dark-haired prodigy wasn't a fool and he knew what had been the cause of the massive wavelength yesterday.

Naruto.

Somehow the blonde boy had given off a wavelength that had physically _shaken_ the village. It was only a small tremor, but there were very few people strong enough to shake a village with their _soul_. He had heard rumors of the gigantic red blade, but he wasn't so foolish to dismiss them like most people. Uzumaki was a buki, a damn powerful one.

Sasuke couldn't help but grimace at the Hyuga girl that chatted quietly with the blonde weapon during Iruka's lecture. The little girl shouldn't be handed such a weapon as Naruto. Only someone with true potential should be able to partner with the blonde; Hinata didn't have true potential.

He pictured himself wielding a massive red zanbatou as he cleaved through his hated brother, Itachi. He reveled in glory as an image of him standing triumphant on a battlefield littered with his dead enemies played across his mind. The red blade that conjured itself and shone like gold in his thoughts was magnificent.

A gentle hand touched his arm and his image was erased. He turned to scowl at the intruder of his daydreams and was met with the worried face of Sakura. Ah yes..Sakura, the buki that had been passed off on him. He guessed she would do fine... until he got another buki.

He watched her out of the corner of his eyes as she doted on him like a mother. It was touching, but pointless after all. He didn't need comfort. He needed a weapon that would crush his foes and make them weep at his feet.

Uchiha Sasuke needed a weapon like Naruto.

* * *

Naruto waved Hinata off as she headed home. As they parted ways, the blonde remembered her saying something about seeing him later tonight, but she hadn't told him of any date or anything so he decided to ignore it.

They had spent the day talking and hanging out and he was positive he could get used to having a girl to hang around with all the time. Maybe he should get a girlfriend?

He turned and scanned through the kids leaving the academy building; there were only a handful of girls in his own class, but the academy was packed with other classes full of kids he didn't know.

He spied a pretty brunette that looked over at him and smiled and he waved as she walked by. Another brunette smiled at him as she exited the school doors. A redhead batted her lashes at him and blew him a kiss as she sauntered past. Two blondes giggled and looked over at him as they whispered to each other.

Naruto started to blush; apparently he must be some kind of attractive, because it seemed like a ridiculous amount of female attention was being directed at him. It made his heart flutter.

"Uzumaki."

Naruto groaned and turned around to address the familiar voice. So_ this _was why girl's were sending him their attention..

"Sasuke. How long have you been standing behind me?"

The dark-haired boy shrugged and made an attempt at a smile.

"Long enough to get your hopes up; those girls get annoying after a while."

"That much female attention and you come to talk to me? I don't roll that way."

He smirked when the Uchiha prodigy scowled. The scowl didn't last long and the Uchiha boy took on a serious tone.

"Anyways..I wanted to come and ask you about Team 5. Are you officially with Hinata then?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow curiously. He instantly recognized something hidden in the other boy's voice.

"Why?"

"I know that wavelength yesterday was you. I am curious if the little girl can handle such power effectively."

He frowned a little and crossed his arms across his chest.

"With a lot of hard work, I am sure we can make a great team. How does that concern you?"

"You deserve a better partner, Uzu-Naruto. I am just here to extend an offer if things don't work out."

Naruto studied the other boy skeptically, but couldn't exactly sense anything sinister in the Uchiha's offer. Who knows? Maybe it wouldn't work with Hinata. He would need a strong shokunin to help him further his career.

"Alright, Sasuke, I accept and note your offer. I am not about to let Hinata give up, but if things don't work I will keep you in mind."

"That is all I ask."

He threw his arm around Sasuke's neck and chuckled. The business was concluded.

"Well now that is settled, I would like to extend _you_ an offer."

The dark-haired boy was surprised. He obviously didn't know how to react to the friendly arm around his shoulders and tensed uncomfortably.

"Umm, what is your offer?"

Naruto smiled and tousled the Uchiha's dark hair like a best friend would.

"Let's be friends, Sasuke. You only hang out on your own and drag Sakura around with you. Come chill with me and Team 4 some time."

The blonde saw the skepticism in the other boy's onyx eyes. After a few minutes, Sasuke coughed and slowly bobbed his head.

"Very well."

"Alright! Here comes Sakura, and I don't feel like getting throttled. We'll catch you later, pal."

He removed his arm from Sasuke's shoulders and jogged to the school entryway. He reached the gate and swung around. He spied the Uchiha boy looking at him, confusion plastered all over him.

"Peace, Sasuke!"

The other boy waved weakly before he was pushed aside as a gang of girls put themselves between Sasuke and Naruto. He could see the fury in the fan-girl's eyes and decided it would be a good time to leave.

He took off at a full sprint as Sakura led the charge and chased him away from their idol. He smiled as the screams of outrage faded into the distance.

"Damn Uchiha, you are a lucky guy."


	3. Calming the Waves

**Master and Weapon**

_Calming the Waves_

Naruto finally made it home and fumbled around in his pocket for his keys. It took a few seconds but he found the small ring and inserted the appropriate key; the lock squeaked and turned over, granting access.

He stepped inside and shut the door, locking it behind him. He had learned never to leave his door unattended, having once made the mistake of leaving his door unsecured, then waking up the next morning with a mob of angry villagers standing in his living room.

Sighing loudly he surveyed his home. The walls were painted a drab white, the carpet was clean but old, and the lone piece of furniture he owned has slowly breaking. The old couch had taken a beating over the years, but he never bothered to dispose of it. Not that anyone would sell him a new one.

Clothes, ramen cups, and magazines were littered everywhere. He groaned and started to throw his clothes into a large bin that was labeled 'Dirty'. He would have to make a trip to the cleaners soon.

Once the clothes were off the floor and the ramen cups and magazines were bagged up and set near the door, he headed to the kitchen. The eating area was a different scene than the living room.

His small kitchen was clean and well-kept. He had very little in the way of dinnerware, but that mattered little. He only ever ate instant ramen when he was home and had a bucket of disposable chopsticks in the corner.

"Dinner time!"

Smiling, he threw open his cabinets and surveyed his massive collection of instant ramen cups. Naruto had pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, vegetable, curry, onion, garlic, red pepper, green pepper, and even chocolate flavored Halloween ramen. Every nook and cranny of the cabinet set was crammed with ramen.

He gazed at the collection like a proud father and snatched one of the cups, shut the cabinets, filled the cup with water and slammed it into the microwave. His hands flew over the control panel and the microwave started to work its magic. The whole process was done smoothly; he could've done it blind.

Naruto watched the cup twirl slowly and breathed in the scent of the noodles.

"Mmmm, yeah that's it baby."

He heard someone giggle. Moving quickly he rolled backwards and put his fists up in front of him in a fighting stance.

Hinata stood at the entrance of the kitchen with a duffel bag across her back. He looked past her and saw two men holding the rest of her bags. The men looked around the apartment curiously. One of the men wearing the clan symbol of the Hyuga frowned.

"You sure this is the right place, Hinata-sama?"

Hinata nodded her head, not taking her eyes off the blonde.

"Yep. You can leave my bags just inside the door. Thank you."

The two men obeyed the orders and gave Hinata one last glance before leaving the apartment and shutting the door behind them.

Naruto chose that moment to shoot her a curious look. "Hinata? What are you..?"

"Doing here? I'm moving in of course! You look like you are about to punch me though, so maybe this isn't the best time?"

The blonde chuckled uncomfortably and got out of his stance, putting a hand on his hip and pointing at the girl's bags. "You are serious? I know we are friends and all, but aren't we moving a bit too fast?"

"You are such a pervert, Naruto. All shokunin and buki teams live together."

Naruto wondered if that was what the Hokage had tried to tell him yesterday, because he hadn't expected this at all. "But..you are a girl," he muttered.

"Yeah? I'm glad you figured that out."

Naruto scowled as Hinata giggled at him; she had transformed from shy little princess to sarcastic tomboy in just a day.

"You know what I mean. What does your dad think about you living with a teenage boy?"

"Ah, that is what you are getting at. Well, he actually helped me pack. At least, he helped until he tried to sort my underwear for me and I ran him off."

The blonde smirked at that; Hiashi sorting girl's underwear was funny to think about.

Hinata noticed him smiling and raised an eyebrow."It wasn't funny. He kept telling me that my mother used to wear the same bra size and yeah.."

Naruto didn't know about this whole "living together thing", but if it was the norm then he wouldn't fight it.

"Ok, well this is weird, but if you are going to live here than we need to clean out my extra room for you. I use it for storage and there is a lot of crap in there. It might take a few days to get rid of all of it."

He watched the Hinata brighten up visibly and she nodded her head."Sounds good!"

"Yeah, exciting.."

Naruto shook his head and went to retrieve the noodle cup from the microwave, opened it and took a seat at his small table. Slowly, the blonde bathed his nose in the scent before digging in. The noodles disappeared quickly as he slurped them with all the manners of starved bear. In between mouthfuls he noticed that Hinata hadn't moved from the door; instead she stood watching him with a small grin playing at her lips.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at her and swallowed another mouthful of the golden noodles. "Yes?"

"Oh nothing, just watching you eat."

Naruto scoffed at her and jabbed his chopsticks at the cabinets. "Okay..Captain Obvious. Want something to eat?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask! I'm famished!"

Hinata set her duffel bag on the floor and opened one cabinet at a time before turning back to look at him. "Are all these filled with ramen?" she asked.

The blonde boy nodded and winked at the Hinata. Ramen was the food of the Gods.

* * *

Once they had eaten and moved Hinata's bags into his room, Naruto sighed and flopped onto his couch; he knew moving was a big thing, but 23 bags was a bit much. Hinata came into the living room and leaned against the wall, looking over at him. "I can't just take your room, Naruto."

"Sure you can. You can have it till we clean out that extra room," he answered.

Hinata looked hesitant, but he wouldn't have it any other way. A knight in shining armor Naruto was not, but he knew it wasn't good manners to let a girl sleep on the couch while you had a bed. "I am fine on the couch anyways. A princess should at least sleep in a bed."

"Oh god, don't call me that!"

Naruto laughed and threw his arm over his eyes; he was thoroughly exhausted from moving bags and wondered how the two men had lugged all of them to his apartment by themselves. There was a weight shift on the couch and he felt Hinata sit down near his head.

"How long have you lived here?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged. "A few years. I used to live in an orphanage, but Oji-san got this place for me and now it is home."

The blonde heard Hinata hum in understanding. There was a pause in the conversation and Naruto groaned. "What? You obviously have something to say, so spit it out," he ordered.

"Uh, well if I am going to live here, then I am going to do some decorating."

Naruto snorted and dropped his arm down to look up at her. "Oh?"

Hinata nodded and looked around. "Yes. This isn't just your apartment anymore, it's _ours_. You will like what I do with it anyways."

Naruto laughed and arched his back a little bit to see Hinata's face, and she looked down at him and raised her eyebrow. "What? Don't look at me like that."

"Sorry, Hinata_-sama_, but I feel like you are getting comfortable awfully fast."

The Hyuga girl stuck her tongue out at him and shrugged. "So? Is that a problem, Naruto-kun?"

"Just didn't pin you for the type that would come to live with a guy and instantly decide to turn his house into _your_ home. You sound like my wife."

He started laughing again as Hinata started to blush and stutter. It was so fun to tease the girl.

* * *

Hinata smacked the blonde boy lying beside her, making him howl and roll off the couch. The blonde always twisted her words!

She giggled when he rubbed his noggin and looked up at her with puppy-dog eyes. Naruto looked so cute when he looked at her with those bright blue eyes, she couldn't help but smile.

"What? You are going to have to deal with it. You keep twisting my words, and I'm going to keep punishing you."

"Yes, Hinata-sama! My most sincere apologies!"

Hinata snorted at his sarcasm and stood up; it was time to survey her future room and she made her way over to the door to the room and motioned Naruto over. "C'mon let's see the damage."

She laughed when Naruto dragged his feet on the floor like a child going to the dentist.

"Hurry up! I don't want to stay in your room forever, you know."

"Fine, fine, but you won't like what you see," Naruto warned.

Hinata sighed and pushed open the door, well she pushed it far enough to peek inside. Naruto was right, the room was chocked full of junk; an old bicycle here, bent road sign there, it looked like a mini-trash heap.

"Why do you have all this stuff?" she asked.

"I really don't know. I was somewhat of a pack rat when I was smaller and ended up with a bunch of souvenirs from my adventures around Konoha."

She took one last glance at the room before closing the door and turning to Naruto. Little did she know the blonde had been looking over her shoulder at the room, and their faces collided. Naruto yowled as her forehead connected with his nose. Hinata whimpered and rubbed her forehead while Naruto backed up, clamping a hand over his nose."Ow! Bwat wuv dat forb?" he asked through his hand.

"What do you mean, what was that for? You shouldn't be lurking behind me!"

Hinata tried not to giggle as he whimpered and went into the bathroom, jamming toilet paper into each nostril to stop his nosebleed.

"I'm sorry."

"Youb bet joo are!"

Hinata burst into a fit of giggles. The boy sounded like what she imagined a walrus would, if they could talk.

"Ib idn't fubby!"

"Oh god, HAHAHAHA!"

She fell to the floor bawling as the laughter ramped itself up and her ribs started to hurt.

* * *

Naruto scowled at the girl rolling around on the floor; he knew he must sound funny, but the girl was laughing so hard she wasn't even making any noise. There was the action accompanied with laughing and the obvious tears of joy, but no sound came out as she convulsed and sucked in random breaths.

A few minutes passed and the blonde was starting to get concerned until Hinata rolled onto her side and sucked in a massive breath. The sound returned and her booming cackle made him wince.

"Oh man! Hahaha! That was..hahaha, so funny!"

Naruto smiled sarcastically and bobbed his head, he didn't dare talk though; it was highly possible that the girl would suffocate herself if he did.

The laughing died down into slight giggles and then finally stopped after a good while, and he helped Hinata to her feet and they both went and sat on the couch.

Hinata wiped the moisture from her eyes and groaned. "Ohhh, my tummy hurts."

Naruto took the nose plugs out and smirked. "That's what you get for laughing like a diabetic kid on Halloween."

"Your jokes aren't as funny as those nose plugs."

The blonde scowled and went to throw away the bloody wads of paper. "I am going to take a shower and go to bed. Tommorow we will start training together, and then when we come home.."

"We'll start decorating?" Hinata asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No. We will start cleaning out that room."

Hinata nodded and saluted him sarcastically, and he sighed and left her in the living room as he grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom. After a few minutes, hot watered battered his frame and washed away all the dirt and grime of a long day. Naruto sighed in relief and leaned against the shower wall.

"Well this is going to be different.."

* * *

"Alright class! Today we are going to be working on wielding your transformed buki. Everyone please make your way to the playground."

Naruto sighed and got up out of his chair to follow Iruka outside. Someone clapped him on the back and he turned to see Kiba grinning at him.

"This will be pretty interesting for you, won't it?"

"Yeah, let's hope I don't accidently kill you."

He laughed when Kiba made a pouting face. Tsubaki giggled and threw an arm around the wolf boy and ruffled his spiky hair.

"Let's keep our fingers crossed."

Naruto grabbed Hinata and went to stand near the swings while Iruka prepared another lecture.

"Ok everyone, this will be our first official transformation training exercise here at the academy. We will begin doing this every day before class so I can keep tabs on your progress. Let's begin with Team One."

The blonde sighed and looked over at the girl standing beside him; Hinata was watching Sasuke and Sakura intently. "You ready?" he asked.

Hinata grunted. "Mm."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and tapped the Hyuga girl's shoulder so she would look at him. This would be their first time working together and his first time trying to transform fully on his own. "If you can't handle me, don't be afraid to step back. I will try and cool my jets, but I can't promise you that it'll be much."

"It's fine, Naruto. Stop worrying about me."

He shrugged and turned back to watch as Sasuke and Sakura walked up to where Iruka was and turned to each other.

* * *

Sasuke smirked at Sakura when she started to fidget; the poor girl was getting nervous in front of less than a dozen people. How would she react when the Chunin exams came around?

"Sakura look at me, don't pay attention to the class."

The pink-haired girl slowly looked up into his eyes and nodded obediently. "Sorry."

"You ready?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded and disappeared in a flash of light, while Sasuke held out his hand and the light coalesced and started to reform in his palm.

The Uchiha prodigy gripped a sword hilt and held it up as the blade started to shoot out and harden. In no time, the transformation completed and he stood holding an elegant katana; it was basic and simple all except for the blade that was pure silver but for the pink blossoms that seemed to float across it. Sasuke smirked when he felt Sakura's wavelength perfectly in tune with his own. Apparently the girl had been synchronizing with his wavelength for a good while.

The raven-haired boy twirled the blade and went through a series of practice swings, putting on a small show for the class. A few 'oohs' and 'aahs' showed they were clearly impressed by how easily Sasuke synchronized with the pink sword.

Iruka clapped happily and strode over to pat him on the back. "Very well done you two! Impressive synchronization!"

Sasuke smirked and tossed the blade into the air, Sakura dispelled and landed on her feet beside him and he allowed her to latch onto his arm and squeal excitedly.

Iruka smiled and called for the next group.

* * *

Ino hadn't been happy at all since she found out Sasuke was a shokunin too, she had hoped they would be paired and she could literally get her _hands_ on him. As it was however, she was stuck with the lazy 'super-genius' Shikamaru.

Annoyed, the blonde girl turned and ushered Shikamaru over to where Iruka was. The boy grunted at Ino in reply and slunk over to stand in front of her.

"This is troublesome."

"Why do you keep saying that? Why not just say, this sucks, or this is boring, or I'm lazy!"

Ino growled at the boy in irritation., while he just looked at her curiously.

"Well?"

Shikamaru sighed and transformed, his body dissolving not into a bright light, but a puddle of shadow. The blonde girl blinked a few times at the little black puddle.

"Is that your buki form?"

"_Nope. Just want to give you time to get ready before you start screaming."_

Ino was about to reply, when the puddle crawled across the ground towards her and she backed up a little and hiked a leg up to her chest like a housewife would when spotting a mouse.

"Ewww! Get away!"

"_This is troublesome. Promise me you won't faint."_

Ino raised an eyebrow. Don't faint?

Without warning the puddle flew through the air and landed on her hand. There was a puff of black smoke and the clank of metal.

"Ahhhh!"

The Yamanaka beauty squealed and backed away from the smoke, shaking her hand wildly as if to get the puddle off, but there wasn't a puddle to be found.

Attached firmly around her wrist and covering her hand was a massive black metal claw. The claw swallowed her tiny hand, making it look like she had grown a freakishly large right hand while her left stayed the same. As the shock wore off she surveyed the weapon; it was a glossy black color and the metal had intricate designs carved into it, each of the finger tips ended in a wicked looking hooked blade, and she instinctively flexed her hand to see if they would move.

The fingers twitched a bit but didn't respond to what her hand was doing. Soon she noticed how heavy the claw was and she soon had to use her free hand to hold it up.

Iruka smiled and crossed the distance to hold the claw up and study it appreciatively.

"Very impressive, Shikamaru."

"_Thank you."_

Ino didn't say anything as the claw became too heavy for her to hold up and Shikamaru had to dispel himself. She looked at him apologetically and he just nodded.

"We have some work to do before we can fight together."

"I'll say."

* * *

Next up was Team 3. No one really paid much attention as the two boys made their way to the front.

Shino nodded at Choji who smirked and threw himself into the air as he transformed. This caught everyone's attention and they all looked up as Choji warped into a massive war-maul. The gigantic weapon flipped through the air and plummeted towards earth.

Someone screamed for Shino to watch out, but he didn't pay attention, instead he caught the massive weapon before it hit him and twirled Choji as if he weighed nothing.

A few twirls and he slammed the weapon into the ground, making the playground rumble as the buki hit the dirt.

Everyone gawked at Choji. The heavy-set boy's design was simple: a massive, spiked steel ball at the end of a long handle, that wasn't what was so impressive however; the spikes on the ball rotated and whirled on their own accord, ripping up the earth as the weapon hummed.

Kiba decided to speak for the class.

"Holy shit, dude."

* * *

Finally once Choji had dispelled and Iruka praised him and Shino, they moved out of the way for Team 4 to come up.

No one knew how to make an entrance like Kiba, and he did just that.

Everyone was busying congratulating Choji when Kiba came flying through the air with Tsubaki seated on his shoulders. The wolf boy soared across the sky and flipped midair before landing on his feet and spinning around to look at the class. Tsubaki let go of her death grip on his head and waved weakly at the class.

Kiba, wearing Tsubaki like a scarf pumped his fist in the air and shot the class a dazzling smile.

"Yahoo! Badass Team at your service!"

The entire class blinked and Naruto started laughing in the back. Kiba shot his blonde friend a scowl and jabbed his thumb into his muscled chest.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba," he roared, "and this lovely lady on my shoulders is Higoya Tsubaki!"

He accentuated Tsubaki's name by nuzzling his face into one of the girl's thighs. The brunette squeaked and the other girls whistled seductively as the weapon girl's face lit up and she franticly tried to remove herself from Kiba's shoulders.

"Eh? Tsubaki..what're you..ack! Tsubaki!"

Due to the Tsubaki's fumbling to free herself, both she and Kiba tumbled to the ground.

His entrance officially ruined, the wolf boy howled in annoyance and tugged both himself and his partner off the ground.

"Let's get this over with."

Tsubaki nodded and transformed and Kiba held out both hands as two kama materialized. The weapons were simple, no more than a handle with a scythe at the end, with a long silver chain running between them.

The wolf boy expertly twirled the kama and did a series of moves before stopping and holding the weapons level with his chest. There was a puff of smoke and in place of the chain scythe was now a ninjato. The mini-katana was black, all except for the blade edge which shone silver. Once again, Kiba went through some practice moves and held the weapon out again.

Tsubaki sighed and changed into a smoke-bomb, then into a spiked gauntlet, then into a blow gun, and finally back into her human form.

Iruka chuckled and patted both Kiba and Tsubaki on the back heartily.

"That was amazing! Tsubaki, I am most impressed with how many transformations you have mastered!"

Kiba smirked and pushed his partner playfully, his earlier annoyance gone due to the lavish praise.

"She is just a show-off."

"Just taking after my partner."

They argued a little bit, but the smiles never left their faces; they knew they were a good team - it didn't take Iruka's approval to tell them that.

* * *

Naruto groaned and watched as Kiba and Tsubaki came back to stand beside him and Hinata. The wolf boy was still smiling at his buki, but Tsubaki turned her attention to Naruto and winked.

"I will show you how to do that some day. Just try and remember what we practiced yesterday and you should be able to transform with no problems."

"Got it. That was pretty impressive by the way, Tsubaki."

He smiled when Tsubaki nodded and blushed a little bit. Girls seemed to do that whenever he gave them compliments, and he was about to say something else when he felt his arm get tugged. Naruto turned to see Hinata pulling him towards Iruka.

"C'mon lover boy, stop flirting with Kiba's buki."

"Her name is Tsubaki and I wasn't flirting."

The blonde scowled as Hinata snorted in disbelief and dragged him out into the middle of the playground. Iruka stood by and he could sense the man tensing, as a matter of fact.. he could almost smell the fear in the people around him.

Naruto frowned and looked around at the anxious faces. Everyone was afraid!

"I'm not going to bite."

"What?"

The blonde shook his head and closed his eyes, deciding that the sooner he trashed the playground and sent them all screaming, the sooner he could go practice with Tsubaki and actually learn to control himself.

So Naruto did as he had learned and slowed his breathing, concentrating on the power he felt glowing inside him. Slowly he tapped into that energy and felt his body disappear and his senses fade. Naruto couldn't move, and all he could sense was a darkness that swallowed him whole.

The blonde had felt this sensation before when he had practiced, but now he was pushing it even further as he wanted a full transformation and was determined to get one. Naruto felt a surge of power burst through him as his senses returned and he blinked and looked around him. He was back in the playground and all his classmates were looking at him in awe.

Naruto felt Hinata's small hands wrapped firmly around his hilt and he felt as if he had gained a couple hundred pounds.

As he looked around he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Curious, he turned and caught himself looking at the reflective surface of the school windows.

Thats when Naruto finally saw _himself_.

The blonde started laughing. Kiba was right; he did look badass. Naruto turned to admire himself and accidently dragged Hinata with him.

It was an odd sensation watching a massive sword dragging a girl around and Naruto laughed at the reflection. There was a pause and he noticed something odd whenever veins stood out around Hinata's eyes. His partner looked around the playground and her eyes went wide in horror; the girl was seeing something terrifying.

What Naruto didn't notice was that he was starting to burn Hinata's hands.

* * *

Hinata had been stunned when she had watched Naruto go still and then burst into a violent red light. Cautiously, she took a hold of him and watched the sword hilt give birth to a massive, demonic red zanbatou. The blade was like something from a nightmare and was easily 4 feet taller than her and much wider. If she wanted, she could've hidden behind the sword quite easily without revealing herself. The saw-like edge also disturbed her. What would it feel like, not to be cut, but _sawed_ apart by such a weapon?

The blood red color of the metal, mixed with swirls of lightning-yellow made it look like an evil thing; a blade wielded by the villain of some fairytale or legend.

It was all she could do to hold Naruto up and it didn't help when he started to look at himself in the window reflection. Hinata tried to plant her feet, but the sword moved of its own accord, dragging her with it as Naruto admired himself.

The worst part was when she activated her Byakugan. Whereas the souls of the kids around her were relatively small, basketball-sized orbs; Naruto's was not only massive, but also a different color than the pure blue of a human soul.

Naruto's soul was a dark, angry red.

The Hyuga heiress watched the sword's wavelength pulse and bathe the area in red, completely drowning out and blowing away the smaller pulses of the other kids. Hinata then watched her own wavelength crash into his clumsily, and then felt it blown away with the crimson tide.

That was when the weapon handle started to burn her hands. Naruto's wavelength was rejecting her. _He_ was rejecting her.

She deactivated the Byakugan and blinked as her sight returned to normal. The burning became more intense and Naruto finally took notice. The zanbatou boy spun around as if to look at her hands and then tried to jerk himself from her grip.

"_**Hinata, let go. Your bleeding!"**_

The rest of the class gasped at the booming voice of the sword,as it wasn't the familiar Naruto's voice that they knew; it was deep and foreboding.

Hinata shook her head and held on as tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

"No! You said that with hard work we would show the doubters what we could do!"

"_**I know I said that, but at the time I didn't anticipate burning off your hands!"**_

Naruto tried to jerk himself free again, but Hinata held fast. She gasped when the blade turned and she could see his reflection in it. Against the glossy red surface, Naruto's face looked at her with concern in his eyes. He spoke, but the voice didn't match the face.

"_**Hinata, you have to let go."**_

"No."

The red blade sighed and dispelled in plume of red smoke and crackling energy as Naruto's human form returned and he dropped to his feet nimbly. Hinata felt the massive wavelength disappear and everyone in the class breathed a sigh of relief.

Hinata whimpered and dropped to her knees in defeat.

* * *

Naruto sighed and turned to look at his partner. Hinata's dark blue hair hung over her eyes and he could see silent tears rolling down her face.

The blonde slowly made his way over and knelt down in front of her. Naruto could understand how upset the girl must be and gently pulled her into a hug; he winced when she started bawling into his shoulder, muttering about being too weak for him or too stubborn. He shushed her and a lightly stroked her smooth hair.

"It's alright, Hinata. It's going to be fine; we just need more practice is all. Sshhhh.."

Naruto sighed and continued to hold Hinata as she bawled and choked out unintelligible words. He felt sorry that she felt like a failure and knew it was his fault, as he had been so distracted with how he looked that he hadn't even tried to calm his wavelength to try and synchronize with her.

Gently Naruto pulled Hinata's small body sideways into his lap and took a look at her hands as she began to sob into his other shoulder. He winced as he got sight of the raw, burned flesh; it must've been hell for her to hold on as long as she did.

The blonde heard Iruka usher the other kids back inside and smiled when Kiba tried to argue with the instructor. Apparently Iruka was keeping Tsubaki and Kiba from coming to help him. Naruto was thankful for Iruka's intervention, as he was sure Hinata was deeply embarrassed and wouldn't want anyone, even her friends, to see her in such a state.

Naruto rested his cheek on top of the girl's head and sighed; this wasn't how he had wanted to start the day.

* * *

A few hours later Naruto found himself sitting outside Hinata's hospital room. Kiba and Tsubaki had come by after class and sat beside him quietly as he held his head in his hands and stared at the floor.

The doctor had said Hinata suffered severe burns and would be out of commission for at least a week and that had really tugged at his heartstrings. Hinata would be stuck in the hospital for a week because of his foolishness and Naruto mentally punished himself, going over what he could have done to stop this situation from even happening.

He must've growled or something while lost in his thoughts because Kiba turned to look at him in surprise.

"What was that for?"

Naruto looked up at his friend and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Dude you just ground your teeth together loud enough for me to hear it. Sounded like nails on a chalkboard. Something up?"

Naruto frowned and ran his tongue along his sharp teeth and found no chips or anything so he shook his head. "Nah, just feeling pretty stupid at the moment."

Tsubaki laid a small hand on his back and began rubbing in circles. The rhythmic motion of the girl's warm hand magically set him at ease and he sighed tiredly. He saw her smile out of the corner of his eye.

"Don't beat yourself up. It was your first transformation and I can't blame you for wanting to see your own reflection. It was an accident," she soothed.

"But.."

Naruto stopped when the Tsubaki shushed him and moved her hand up to massage his neck. He lowered his head obediently and let her work at the tight muscles found there.

She paused a moment, then cleared her throat. "But, nothing. Just take this as a lesson and learn from it. I've injured Kiba a couple times already too."

The blonde looked over at the wolf boy who was nodding his head and cleaning dirt from his sharp nails. "It's true."

"Yeah, but you don't fry people's skin when your wavelength is off. A nick and a cut are fine compared to putting your partner in the hospital."

Neither of his friends argued with him. He groaned and lowered his head again as Tsubaki continued kneading the stiff muscles in his neck and shoulders.

* * *

Hinata whimpered at her little sister. Her Papa had brought little Hanabi to see her in the hospital and the little girl had started bawling when she saw Hinata's hands wrapped up in bandage.

"Is she g-going to l-live!"

"Yes, yes of course, Hanabi-chan!"

Hinata smiled at her father; he might be a slime ball, but he was always so gentle with her and Hanabi.

"Papa, why hasn't mother come to see me?"

Hiashi smiled and rubbed his neck.

"She uh, was here until I showed up. Mama showed up when they put you to sleep and then stayed till I got here. Sorry, Hinata."

"It's alright."

Hinata smiled weakly at her family and sighed; she wished her father and mother were still together like they used to be. Ever since father's famous night at the local 'fun spot' things hadn't been the same at the Hyuga mansion. Hinata sighed and banished the thoughts from her mind; they never helped anything.

She took a look at her hands again and winced when she remembered what had happened that morning. Naruto's soul was so powerful, she wondered if she would ever be able to calm those gigantic waves of red.

"Papa, is Naruto here?"

Hiashi nodded and pointed at the door.

"He is outside in the lobby. You want me to send him in or beat him within an inch of his life?"

Hinata shot her father an annoyed glance and he pouted.

"He hurt you, princess! Nobody messes with my babies and gets away unscathed!"

"It wasn't his fault. I could've let go, but didn't. I was being stubborn so don't take it out on him."

She smiled at her little sister and Papa. They didn't seem to convinced but finally nodded their heads.

"Now would you please send him in? I need to talk to him, alone."

"Nooo! I wanna stay with Hinata!"

Hanabi tried in vain to latch onto the bed, but Hiashi finally tugged her away and threw the little girl over his shoulder and made for the door.

Hinata laughed as her little sister fought Hiashi as he opened the door. The Hyuga patriarch turned and smiled at her before leaving, but Hinata could hear Hanabi's screams of protest as they walked down the hall.

"Take me back or I'll never love you ever again!"

"Awww but Hanabi! Your Papa loves you sooo much!"

Hinata heard a nurse scream from a ways off.

"Nurse lady help me! This man is kidnapping me!"

"Hanabi-chaaaan! Don't say such things about Papa!"

* * *

Naruto turned his head at the commotion coming his way, Tsubaki stopped rubbing his shoulders and even Kiba looked up from his magazine; it sounded like a small train was coming down the hall.

Hiashi came into view, marching towards him with a small girl trying to climb over his face. The Hyuga man stumbled about and knocked over a tray of food as he struggled with the little girl.

"Hiashi-san?"

Naruto watched the white-eyed man finally pry the girl from his face and hold her away from himself with extending arms. It looked a lot like a pet owner holding a furious tomcat.

"Ah Naruto. My little sunflower wishes to see you."

The little girl in Hiashi's squealed and reached her tiny arms out towards the blonde boy.

"Take me with yooooouu!"

Naruto didn't pay attention as he raced to Hinata's room and flung open the door. Hinata jumped in her bed and seeing it was him, clutched her heart and panted.

"Jeez Naruto! Scare a girl, will you?" she hissed.

The blonde grinned embarrassedly; he was glad to see she was awake, as the doctors had put her out for a good while why they tended to her burned appendages.

"Sorry, just glad to see you up," Naruto admitted, grinning widely.

Hinata cocked an eyebrow at him. "How long have I been out?"

Naruto shook his head and shut the door behind him as he entered the room, taking a seat beside Hinata's bed and holding up 5 fingers. "Five hours. They must've used horse tranquilizer on you."

Hinata frowned and observed her bandaged hands, Naruto could tell she was upset.

"What's wrong? Something wrong with the bandages?" he asked.

"No, the bandages are fine. I am just sorry about this morning."

The blonde raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in confusion.

"Huuuh, my name's Naruto and I need everything explained in detail. Durrr!" Hinata teased, crossing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.

"Hey!"

Naruto couldn't help but smile when she started giggling, and just watched his friend till she stopped and groaned before leaning back against her pillow.

"You told me to back off if I couldn't handle you, but I didn't. I don't want you to think this is your fault. Don't try to say it was you either or I'll hit you."

"Oh? You going to hit me with your mummy paws?"

The blonde ducked as Hinata half-heartedly tried to punch him. Naruto knew that laughter was the best medicine, and Hinata's giggle was the equivalent to rehab for him; she needed to know that everything was cool.

"Everything is fine. It wasn't your fault..or mine. Team 5 botched the job."

Naruto could see the girl visibly relax, and he could see moisture start to collect in the corner of her eyes. "T-thank you" she whispered.

Naruto waved the compliment off and opened his arms. "Come here."

Naruto watched Hinata push herself up until she was sitting upright and a tear dropped as she leaned over and gently wrapped her arms around him. Naruto smiled and pulled the girl into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her trembling frame. The Hyuga heiress sobbed a little bit into his neck and he felt her tears start to soak the collar of his t-shirt. They stayed like that for a second before Hinata pulled back and smiled shakily at him.

Naruto gently wiped her face for her and eased her back down into the bed, before pulling the covers up to her chin and wiping the stray bangs from her eyes. He felt oddly protective of his teammate as she smiled at him and he winked down at her. Hinata was like family now –well, what he figured a family was like - and he would see her get better and come back from this, he promised himself that.

"Get some sleep and let those paws heal. We will get back on the wagon when you are better. I will bring some of your things for you tomorrow."

Hinata nodded and shifted her position to get comfortable in the bed.

"Come visit me after class and don't you dare try to pick out clean underwear for me. I will have my little sister get some from home."

"Alright, alright, duly noted. See you tomorrow."

Naruto turned to leave and had his hand on the door knob before Hinata cleared her throat.

"What're you going to be doing?"

"Uh, Tsubaki is teaching me how to control my power. We will probably train for a few hours, then I guess I'll go poke through your bags at home."

Naruto waited for a bit but Hinata didn't say anything else so he turned off the lights and carefully closed the door behind him.

* * *

Hinata watched Naruto leave and once he was gone, she lay alone in the dark room. For some reason she didn't want him to go. _She_ wanted to train with him and cursed herself for getting injured on the third day of school.

She shook her head and closed her eyes to try and sleep.

Tsubaki was a nice girl, and anyways..Kiba would be there, right?

* * *

**-Well you wanted to see Hinata wield Naruto, so there ya go. First time is fail!**

**-Everyone might be surprised by Hanabi's attitude, not to mention Hiashi, but I like to depict her as an actual little sister. She is often depicted as mean and stuck up, but I don't like to see her as just some rival of Hinata's. **

**-Someone also said I replaced Maka's Papa from Soul Eater with Hiashi. You are right! I love Maka's Papa in Soul Eater, he is probably my favorite character. Also the fact that he calls himself Papa in Japanese is hilarious sounding.**

**-Going on vacation for Thanksgiving, so it'll be a few before next chappy.**

Return


	4. The Discovery

**Master and Weapon**

_The Discovery_

Naruto walked in silence; his friends walked beside him. After leaving the hospital, none of the three students talked much, each one of them was wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Kiba had missed lunch and it was bothering him to no end, he grumbled about it under his breath, but Naruto's sharp ears picked it up.

The blonde couldn't tell what was on Tsubaki's mind as she walked beside him with her gaze on the floor. Letting curiousity get the best of him, he tapped her on the shoulder and tilted his head to look at her.

"Something up?"

The weapon girl shook her head and smiled at him.

"Uh, no, it's nothing."

This caught Kiba's attention and he raised an eyebrow at Naruto. The blonde returned the look with a shrug. They both could tell something was on the girl's mind, but neither decided to press the question.

The rest of the walk was uneventful and in no time they were at the training ground they had used to train before. Naruto watched as Kiba went and hopped into a tree. The wolf boy always lounged around whenever he and Tsubaki trained. He had asked about it, but Tsubaki had said that Kiba trained at home with weights and machines.

Naruto walked out into the small, grassy field and turned to Tsubaki, who seemed spaced out.

"Yo, Tsubaki! Wake up."

"Huh? Oh! Ok, uh.. lets practice controlling the transformation first. Try just transforming your right arm."

Obediently, Naruto slowed his breathing till it was barely existent. He closed his eyes and let his body go loose, reaching within himself and tapping his soul power.

It was warm to the touch and he stroked the red orb within his consciousness, it purred in response and shot warmth throughout his body. This led to the second part of his transformation ritual as his body began to numb: first his hands, arms, chest, legs, toes, and then he felt nothing.

Unlike his transformation at the school, Naruto went painstakingly slow this time around, focusing intently on his right arm as the numbness disappeared from everywhere except the arm he pushed the power towards.

Naruto felt his arm extend, sharpen, and harden to diamond like consistency. He opened his eyes and smirked when he noticed the deadly blade that shot out of his body. What was once an arm, was now a 4 foot long cleaver, stained blood red with the tell-tale yellow lines skittering across it.

He swung his arm and the blade whistled through the air, and Naruto was sure that swing could've sliced clean through a human skull.

Tsubaki looked over his arm skeptically and flicked her finger against the blade, making it ring.

"Very nice, Naruto. Let's try the left arm now."

The blonde dispelled the weapon and concentrated his soul power again. Within seconds his left arm warped into an identical blade as the first.

Naruto watched the girl's eyebrows rise in surprise, she was obviously impressed and he even heard Kiba chuckle from his leafy resting spot.

"The arms are easy."

"Obviously.."

Naruto switched between his left and right arms, dispelling the blade, only for it to reappear on the opposite appendage. At one point he even made both arms into blades, but dispelled them when Tsubaki started giggling and told him he looked like he had bird wings.

Tsubaki watched and instructed him as he alternated the blades, even showing him how to change his fingers into miniature copies of the red cleaver; that had been the highlight of Naruto's training.

It was nearly an hour before she told him to stop and do a full transformation.

Naruto blanched at that and took a couple steps away from her.

"Don't you dare touch me."

"I won't," she teased, "I saw what happens to people that touch you in that form."

He nodded and gave her one last serious look before closing his eyes and slowly going into the full transformation. His body immediately went numb and his vision went red, he felt the familiar power start to work on his body.

A few seconds later he could tell the transformation was complete. The power inside him roared and released its pulse and the area rippled at the surge of power and a fell wind blew around him, blowing away grass and leaves. The trees around them began to shake and creak as if they were in the middle of a storm.

Naruto couldn't help but smile at the surge of wavelength, it felt good to release the stopper and let his power flow wild.

He basked in his own aura and didn't notice that he had started to chuckle. His attention was quickly brought back to earth however, when Tsubaki stepped toward him with her hands held out. Naruto instantly recoiled and the blade hovered backwards a few feet.

"_**No, Tsubaki."**_

The girl's hair whipped around her as the aura buffeted her, but she kept coming at him.

"_**Tsubaki get back, before I make you."**_

"Sorry, but I am going to get a hold of you. Whether I get burned or not is up to you."

Naruto quickly flew a ways off and raised his voice till he was sure both of his friends could hear him clearly.

"_**Kiba, come get her away. I can't control this and if she touches me she will burn."**_

He watched Kiba jump down from the tree and go over to where Tsubaki was slowly advancing towards him. The wolf boy frowned at his partner and started talking to her, but Naruto couldn't hear what was said. The fell wind and surging power was like standing inside a tornado and he could hear little but the hum of his soul.

The two partners argue for a bit before Kiba turned to Naruto and shrugged in defeat.

"_**Stop her."**_

Tsubaki sent the wolf boy a glare, making Kiba back down.

The closer she got, the more his wavelength roared outwards. It was if his aura was trying to blow the girl away from him, and he raised an eyebrow and felt the aura pick up even more when she was no less than 5 feet away.

Naruto winced when Tsubaki slid backwards a bit and had to reach down and steady herself by pulling at the grass roots. He didn't want to hurt his friend, but the aura was determined to crush her tiny wavelength and toss her away like a dead leaf in the wind.

Soon Tsubaki couldn't advance anymore and just held on as the ground began to come up beneath her.

"Naruto! You have to..control…control the wavelength! Let me come near you!"

"_**I have no control over this, Tsubaki. This power is merely escaping."**_

He frowned when chunks of earth started loosen around him. His wavelength was weakening the earth and was starting to launch the clods of dirt and grass away from him; Tsubaki was hit by one and nearly lost her grip.

"_**Tsubaki! Get away from here or I'll be forced to dispel!"**_

"No! No! Don't dispel it! Try and calm it, Naruto!"

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes, calming his thoughts as he reached out with his mind towards a massive sea of soul power, the waves of red crashed and roared around him. Undaunted, Naruto waded through the storm and looked around for some way to calm the wild pulse, but no matter where he looked; all Naruto saw was violent, red soul power.

Just when he was about to give up and dispel, something caught his eye. Within the red expanse of his wavelength, he caught a glimpse of the red flaming orb that was his soul. The massive orb resonated normally, but almost immediately after it pulsed…his soul _shook; _it was subtle and extremely quick, but he _saw_ the orb shiver.

Naruto waited for another pulse, and sure enough, immediately after his soul had pulsed, it shook and sent the calm ripples into hysterics. He was dumbfounded.

The old man Hokage had said that his soul's 'beat' was what formed the ripples, but hadn't explained what happened after the 'beat'.

He watched in wonder at the red orb. It looked as if after every 'beat' there was something inside his soul that crashed against it, making it wobble and cause his wavelength to shift violently. It was like watching a baby bird struggle within its egg.

Intrigued, Naruto reached out to his soul and laid his ethereal hands on it, steadying it. The next pulse came and he felt his soul wavelength ripple outwards. He steadied his soul and felt something ram against it..from the _inside_.

* * *

Tsubaki whimpered as she started to lose her grip on the earth between her fingers. The whole area was starting to dissolve from exposure to Naruto's wavelength.

She chanced a look up at the massive sword floating a yard or so away from her, and she imagined it was like looking into the center of a hurricane. The red power swirled and coalesced around the blade, using it as a focus point.

The weapon girl had never seen such a power display in her life, and the scary thing wasn't that Naruto could release that much power with his wavelength, it was that he was doing it without knowing anything about it. Some of the more powerful ninja in the village could have probably released a concentrated burst of wavelength as large as the one Naruto gave off, but they would be immediately exhausted and would very unlikely be able to release another one.

Naruto's wavelength pulsed consistently and even seemed to grow in power the closer she got to him. She knew Naruto couldn't possibly control the power well enough to forcefully push her away, but it was if the wavelength itself didn't want her to approach.

So it was to her unexpected surprise that the wavelength suddenly calmed. It was if someone had pulled Naruto's plug and the wild waves instantly changed into a smooth, rolling tide.

Tsubaki crashed into the dirt and the fell wind disappeared. She glanced around the area dumbly and saw the trees stop shaking and bending, and even the flying dirt clods fell and rolled to a stop.

She could feel Naruto's massive wavelength still, but it had changed. No longer did it threaten to blow her away; now the blonde's wavelength flowed around hers, caressing and comforting her tiny ripples as if they were part of itself.

Tsubaki looked over at the blade and smiled excitedly.

"Naruto! You did it!"

The boy didn't reply, but the zanbatou floated gently a few feet off the ground, humming like a machine.

Tsubaki got to her feet and dusted herself off, brushing some dirt clods out of her brunette hair. Slowly she approached the blade, holding her hands out in front of her in an almost defensive manner. The wild waves were gone but she didn't want to take any chances in case they returned.

Reverently she grasped his hilt with her tiny hand. Seeing no reaction from Naruto, she brought the other hand around and settled into a practiced sword grip.

Tsubaki held her breath and felt her heart start to beat wildly. Although she herself was a weapon, it was an exciting feeling to take another buki in her hands. She could feel Naruto's wavelength wash over her, bathing her in his power. The sword synchronized with her and she easily lifted the zanbatou in the air, holding it over her head.

She giggled and brought the zanbatou down and across in a relaxed slashing move. Pivoting on one foot, she brought the blade around in an arc and swung at an imaginary enemy approaching from the side. Moving swiftly, she adjusted her grip on the hilt and brought the blade around to jab behind her, impaling another attacker. She twirled the blade then leapt into the air, pulling the zanbatou into a spinning slash. As she fell towards earth, she held Naruto over her head and as she hit the ground, split the enemy in front of her in twain. Three imaginary foes dead in a few fluid moves.

Satisfied with her sword-dance, she held Naruto in front of her with one hand and twirled him a few times. The blade was twice her size and probably weighed more than her, but their matching wavelengths let her wield him as if he weighed no more than a twig.

Tsubaki couldn't help but smile excitedly; Naruto was a magnificent blade of immense power and potential. Any shokunin would sell their mother to wield such a buki, she was sure of that.

Her smile faltered a little bit when she thought of the shokunin who would get to partner with Naruto. The Hyuga girl was luckier than she would probably ever know. Not only would Hinata get to wield the blonde boy in battle; she would get to spend almost every moment of every day with him.

The brunette felt an odd sense of jealousy and wrinkled her nose. Ever since she was a little girl, her cute, button nose would always scrunch up when something didn't agree with her.

The weapon girl couldn't help but wonder if Team 5 was properly thought out. What if Iruka was wrong about those two being partnered? What if Hinata wasn't strong enough to help Naruto rise through the ranks and carve his name into legend?

So lost in her thoughts was she, that she didn't notice Naruto dispel himself.

* * *

Naruto had finally found out how to control his wavelength! He was excited and confused at the same time. While he liked being able to synchronized with his partner, a part of him missed the raw power that he exuded when he just let his soul be. He caught himself wishing he could have both the control and the power, so he decided to study his soul in more detail some time later. The strange force pushing against his soul had intrigued him immensely.

The blonde had to admit, synchronizing with Tsubaki and having her wield him in an imaginary sword fight was both relaxing and enjoyable. The blonde had let his body flow with her movements and had _felt_ himself impale and destroy her imaginary foes.

He also noted with a bit of shame that he had enjoyed her touch. The girl's smooth hands felt as if they were made for him, and he couldn't help but wonder if things would've been different had she been a shokunin instead of a buki like him. He banished those thoughts quickly however, as a faint image of Hinata floated across his mind.

Tsubaki had paused and looked deep in thought, so he decided that now was as good a time as any to dispel.

He released his control and felt his human body reform and materialize. One thing that did not change however, was the feeling of Tsubaki's hand. A moment ago she had been grasping his hilt, but now as he was transformed; her small hand was gripping his right wrist tightly.

Naruto stood in front of her and looked between his wrist and her face. The brunette's eyes were unfocused and even though she looked at him, it was if she was miles away at the same time.

He smirked and cleared his throat, bringing Tsubaki's attention back to earth.

"You..uh did it."

"Sure did. You enjoy yourself?"

The girl nodded vigorously and a bright grin lit up her pretty face - she still hadn't released his wrist.

"That was the first time I have ever held another buki. I didn't mean to take liberties with you, but I couldn't help but swing you around a bit."

Naruto smiled and shook his head lazily.

"The pleasure was all mine. It actually felt pretty cool having someone swing me around. It is a feeling I could get used to.."

The words came out a little more dramatically than Naruto had intended, and he felt himself blush. Luckily, Tsubaki didn't seem to notice and simply stared at him, her eyes glazed over.

It wasn't long before the silence became uncomfortable, and he pointedly looked down at her hand on his wrist and coughed.

It didn't take long for Tsubaki to get the hint.

"Oh god! Uh..sorry."

"It's no problem, the circulation will come back..eventually."

Naruto chuckled and covered his chest as she punched him in the arm in reply, a small blush staining her cheeks.

"Don't joke around like that, moron!"

"Yow! Sorry, sorry!"

Tsubaki giggled and he smiled in return. There was a pause, their eyes met, and everything went quiet as they gazed at each other.

Naruto couldn't help but feel his cheeks heat up as he lost himself in her large hazelnut eyes; Tsubaki's eyes were warm and full of life as they swallowed his gaze and held him completely motionless.

Before yet another akward silence could build, approaching footsteps shook them both from the trance and they both turned to see Kiba strolling towards them. The wolf boy had his hands in his pockets and was looking around at the torn up field.

Naruto looked from Kiba to Tsubaki, and smirked when he saw that she was blushing.

* * *

Tsubaki tried to still her heart beat, but was failing miserably, it felt like the organ wanted to leap out of her chest and run away.

She kept her gaze glued on her partner as he approached, not daring to turn and lose herself again in Naruto's beautiful blue eyes. The blonde boy's gaze was crisp and bright, and like his controlled wavelength, it strengthened her and refreshed her.

"Yo! Planting a garden or something? You seemed to have plowed this field pretty well."

"It was his wavelength going crazy again. Besides that, we've got some exciting news."

The wolf boy raised an eyebrow and looked between Naruto and her. Tsubaki nodded her head and jerked her thumb at Naruto.

"He can control it."

She turned and watched as the two boys started laughing and pulled each other into a rough hug, they wrestled and pushed each other around excitedly.

"Dude, that's awesome! Now you won't fry people! Yahoo!"

"Damn straight!"

Tsubaki smiled when they finally broke apart and turned to her. Kiba was all teeth as a massive grin split his face; the wolf boy looked more excited about it than Naruto was.

She dared to look over at her blonde friend and her heart stopped when her gaze met his for the second time that day. It was obvious Naruto was pleased, but whereas Kiba was smiling at the news, the blonde boy was smiling at _her_.

He mouthed a silent, 'Thank you.'

She blushed and nodded shyly, looking down at her feet, expecting the boys to go back to their rough celebration. It was to her ultimate surprise however, when she felt herself wrapped in strong arms and lifted off her feet. Her face was buried in Naruto's jacket and she couldn't help but breath in his scent; it was warm and spicy and not unwelcome to her nose.

Naruto easily pulled her up so that her chin was resting on his shoulder. Even though the hug was one between friends and was a show of Naruto's thanks, Tsubaki couldn't help but feel the warmth and care in it. The boy's arms encircled her completely and he squeezed her just enough to press them together, but not enough to make her uncomfortable. Tsubaki barely bit back a moan of contented pleasure.

She felt his warm breath against her ear and an excited shiver shot up her spine.

"Thank you so much, Tsubaki. You did so much for me today."

Her voice left her at that moment, and she could only nod her head against his shoulder in reply.

And just as quick as it had come, the hug ended.

She sighed as Naruto set her down and squeezed her arm before turning and chattering excitedly with Kiba; Tsubaki closed her eyes and followed the boys as they wandered off the field. She heard them making plans on where to eat supper, but she didn't care to listen, her mind was too busy replaying the hug over and over in her mind.

She knew it probably meant very little to the boy, but to her it was the most romantic thing she had ever experienced. As a young woman she couldn't help but fantasize and analyze everything about the embrace she and Naruto shared. What did it mean? Was there something _more_ to it than simple thanks?

Of course some darker thoughts entered her mind along with the fantasies. What was she thinking? Entertaining the idea of having feelings for Hinata's partner? It was absurd, crazy, and unprovoked. Naruto didn't feel for her that way, right? He was just being polite and was happy about controlling his power, right?

Tsubaki smacked her forehead with her palm and doubted she would be able to sleep much tonight.

* * *

A few days passed and Naruto was on his way to the hospital to bring Hinata her homework when a strange man stepped out in front of him, blocking his path.

He sighed at the man and tried to walk around him, but the stranger sidestepped into his path again. Naruto looked up at the man and noticed he wore a mask and had the head band drooping down over one eye as well as the flak jacket and uniform of Konoha shinobi.

"Can I help you?"

"Nope, just standing here."

The man stood casually in front of him as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. Naruto raised his eyebrow but said nothing as he tried to casually pass around the man again. The strange man blocked his way again.

"Ok seriously? I have places to be, could you get out of my way?"

"Hmm?"

Naruto scowled up at the lazy white-haired man. It was obvious he wasn't going to get by without a little force so he put a little strength into his step and shouldered past the man.

As he passed the man, Naruto sighed and shook his head, continuing on his path to the hospital. About a block down the street, he was sure he could hear footsteps behind him and turned around, only to be greeted by an empty street. Naruto growled and spun around and smacked right into the strange man.

"Hey! What the-"

"Yo."

Naruto was quickly losing his patience, and his brow furrowed as he bared his teeth in a challenge, which the white-haired man didn't rise to. The man just stood and looked at him with what looked to be boredom.

"Ok pal, if you don't cut this out, I am going to have to thrash you."

"Thrash me? Whatever for?"

Naruto's arm lengthened and transformed into a serrated blade.

"I am going to the hospital, either get out of my way or I will take you with me as a new patient."

"Oh? Hmm. I think I'll just stay here."

The blonde growled and swung his blade arm around in a sideways slash. The man responded by kicking off of Naruto's chest and flipping backwards, away from the attack.

Naruto stumbled backwards and scowled intensely. Konoha shinobi or not, this guy was going to get a beat down he wouldn't soon forget.

With an angry bellow he charged, his stance was fluid and he sped low along the ground, bringing his blade arm back to get ready to swing. A few feet away from his opponent, he leapt into the air and spun like a top, falling from the sky like a tornado and bringing his spinning blade attack down on the man.

To his surprise, he hit nothing but pavement, and winced when his blade punched through the concrete and stuck there. Naruto cast his eyes about and couldn't find the stranger.

_Where'd that jerk go?_

With a tired sigh Naruto dispelled his blade and tugged his hand from the hole, while surveying both ends of the street, and finding nothing. He didn't however check the rooftops and it would be his ultimate downfall.

The man descended on him and landed an axe-kick to the top of his head. Naruto yowled in surprise and the force of the kick sent his head smacking off the hard ground, where he felt his jaw crack from the impact, and stars began to swim across his vision.

Naruto groaned and rolled onto his back, spitting out a tooth and a gob of blood, while white-haired man stood over him, a smile showing through his mask.

"That was a pretty flashy attack; I was almost impressed before I dodged it."

"Screw you."

Naruto spat out more blood and kept his back against the pavement. He contemplated trying to roll backwards and kick the man, but judging from the man's apparent speed it would only make him look foolish.

"What do you want? You are a Konoha ninja, so why are you attacking me?"

"I didn't attack you. You attacked me and I defended myself."

The blonde shrugged, rolled over and got to his knees slowly. His head swam and he blinked a few of the stray stars from his view - that was one hell of a kick.

Unexpectedly he felt a strong hand grab him by the back of his jacket and haul him up to his feet.

"I am Hatake Kakashi, Jonin instructor at the academy."

"Uzumaki Naruto, first-year student."

Naruto snorted at the white-haired man, adding him to a growing list of weird ninja he had met in the village.

"I have heard a lot about you, Naruto. My daughter thinks quite highly of you."

Kakashi's eye crinkled in a knowing smile, but Naruto could only tilt his head in confusion.

"Daughter?"

"Mm, yes. Tsubaki-chan is my child."

Naruto paused for a moment before waggling his finger at the man.

"Nice try, but Tsubaki's name is Higoya, not Hatake."

"She is adopted."

Kakashi sighed and ran a hand through his spiky, white hair. "Besides that, the reason for this impromptu visit was for me to give you a look-over. A father must be careful with who he allows his daughter to fraternize with..especially rowdy young boys."

"You could've just said hello."

The masked man nodded thoughtfully and shrugged. "I could've, yes. However, this way shows me what kind of man you truly are."

"Oh?"

Naruto looked up as the man bobbed his head and eye-smiled again.

"You are one of fiery temper, quick to anger and even quicker to lash out. On the flipside, you are also probably extremely protective of your friends and would put yourself at risk for them. You, Naruto, are a two-edged sword."

Naruto laughed at the irony of that statement. He was really just a one-edged sword and was about to correct the man, but Kakashi shushed him and cleared his throat before continuing.

"One side of me says that you are a hot-head and could easily argue with and hurt my daughter's feelings, so I should forbid you from befriending her. The other side says that in the case my daughter were to be put under any danger, you would personally protect her with your life and thereby return her safely to me. Pros and cons, dear boy, pros and cons.."

Naruto could only stand and gape at the Jonin. This whole debacle had been an excuse for Kakashi to sum up who he was and decide on whether or not he and Tsubaki could hang out? Naruto decided that between Kakashi and Hiashi, he didn't know which father was the most _normal_.

"I have concluded that you will make a fine friend for my little girl. Keep up the good work..I will have an eye on you."

Without further words, the man leapt onto the nearest roof and took off. Naruto blinked and watched the white-haired man retreat. The village was getting stranger and stranger every day..

* * *

Hinata smiled when her partner came through the door carrying an assortment of textbooks and stationary.

"Hi Naruto, you are a little late today."

"Ah? Sorry."

In truth, the blonde boy was exactly 14 minutes and some odd seconds late, but who was counting? Hinata admitted she always looked forward to the time of day when Naruto would visit, and in the last few days they had set a time about an hour after school let out in which the boy would stay with her for a few hours and help her do homework. Even though he wasn't very good at paperwork and didn't really help much, she appreciated his company immensely.

"So, what'd you bring me?"

"Ninja history exam that is due in a week, and.."

The boy trailed off and seemed lost in thought. She watched as his brow tightened and he scowled at the floor. Something was obviously bothering Naruto.

Hinata beckoned him over to her bedside; the boy's mind was obviously elsewhere, but his body responded as if on auto-pilot and he took a seat beside her bed. Gently she reached out and touched his cheek, and his blue eyes shot up and looked at her in surprise.

"Hinata?"

"What's wrong, Naruto? You seem out of it.."

The blonde sighed and scratched his head like he always did when confused. Hinata could recognize most all of his body-language.

"I uh, have been having some weird dreams lately that involve me fighting..and killing a bunch of faceless men. Then I met this guy on the street who said I have a fiery temper and am quick to attack people. I just.."

"You're wondering if you are a dangerous person?"

Naruto looked up at her and nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, exactly! How do you do that?"

"Oh, you mean guessing what is bothering your tiny brain before you even tell me?"

She giggled when he smiled and nodded again. It was true that she could already read him like a book; the blonde wore his emotions on his sleeve for anyone to see, and it wasn't hard to surprise him with her 'emotional insight'.

"I am just magical like that. About your worries? Don't let them get to you. You are a good and kind person Naruto, I can tell that and I'm sure everyone else can too."

She put a finger over his lips when he looked skeptically.

"If you were a jerk, you wouldn't be bringing me my homework and staying to help me with it, now would you?"

The blonde didn't have an answer, and finally smirked at her, nodding in agreement.

"Thanks Hinata, you're an angel."

Hinata blushed at his praise; she was glad to help him out anyway she could, and it was the least she could for him at the moment. A few more days and the bandages would come off and she would finally get to work learning how to fight beside him.

Naruto had told her about his discovery a few days ago. Apparently he had found out how to control his wavelength and couldn't stop laughing excitedly as he told her the tale.

She had nearly kissed him out of excitement that day, as it meant that they could be a team, it meant that she could wield him, it meant that there was a future for them..

With a slight blush staining her cheeks, she took the books from her partner and set about doing her homework.

* * *

**-This chappy is a little short, but I figured I would release it anyways. **

**-I am not sure as of yet what to do with Kakashi, but I'm sure I'll find something. Unexpected that he adopted Tsubaki eh? I didn't want her to be another orphan like Sasuke and Naruto, so..**


	5. 8 Months Later

**Master and Weapon**

_8 Months Later_

After a month Hinata was finally released from the hospital and despite the severity of the burns, her hands were only slightly scarred and she made a full recovery. Doctors had told her the scars could be removed, but the heiress wanted to keep them as a 'reminder'. Soon she began training full time with Naruto.

Of course this meant that the training sessions had stopped with Tsubaki and Kiba; the blonde wasn't happy about that, but soon found he had no time to dwell on it.

The gap between him and his two friends lengthened ever more when he and Hinata started doing missions. They would be gone for days, sometimes weeks, only to return and find that Team 4 had already been sent out again.

It wasn't long until Naruto very rarely saw his friends at all; they passed the Genin exams and no longer even had the luxury of class to see each other. It took a toll on him. The only people he ever really saw regularly was the Hyuga family and Sarutobi. He found himself being drawn out of isolation, only to be put in another type of social isolation.

Of course he always had Hinata.

The two had now shared an apartment for almost a year and had finally gotten the extra room prepared for the girl. Naruto's apartment soon become Team 5's home, and thus the two teens soon built up an almost married-couple kind of routine.

They would return from their mission or training session and Naruto would go take a nap while Hinata showered then went to collect their pay. When she came back she would prepare a meal, wake the blonde up, and they would both eat before going to bed, only to wake the next morning and repeat the cycle all over again. Unless they went out to eat at the Hyuga mansion or a restaurant, or one of them was hospitalized, the routine never changed.

It was during one of these routine suppers than Naruto looked up from his meal and grinned at his partner. Hinata blinked and looked at him suspiciously with narrowed eyes.

"What? I know that look.."

"Say Hinata, how about you and I go to the hot springs and cause a little mayhem?"

The girl snickered and took another bite of the fish she had prepared.

"Why would I ever do something like that? Your being silly.."

Naruto sighed and looked down at his own fish, picking at it idly with his chopsticks.

"I'm just tired of this.."

"Oh.. I'm sorry, I can fix you something else if you like," Hinata stuttered as she began to push her seat backwards to get up.

Naruto shook his head and grabbed her wrist to keep her from getting up. If he asked for another meal, he knew without a doubt she would stay up all night cooking him whatever he desired. Hinata was always so quick to please. The last thing on his mind however, was the meal.

"Hinata, we haven't talked or heard from Team 4 in months. Don't you ever wonder what they're up to?"

He watched his partner stiffen a little before shaking her head slowly and tilting her head to look at him.

"I talked to Ino the other day and she said they were away on assignment in the Land of Wave. Is something bothering you, Naruto?"

"It's just..it seems like ever since we finally synced up, we haven't had time to hang out or do anything fun with our friends, you know?

"Well, we hung out with Ino and Shikamaru the other day.."

Naruto growled and banged his head against the table.

"That was only because we were helping them escort a prisoner to jail. I don't classify that as hanging out.."

"Then what? We are constantly on a mission or training, so we don't really have time for..hanging out."

"Exactly."

"Exactly what?"

"We work all the time! When was the last time either of us did anything fun? Even here at home we follow the same damn routine and conversation as always."

Hinata frowned across the table and reached out to him. She gently took his larger hand in her small one. "Naruto..it's just who we are. This is the life of a ninja."

"The life of a ninja, huh? The life and times of a zombie is more like it."

"Well what do you propose we do?"

Naruto sighed and watched her stroke his hand. Hinata's touch was always gentle and calming.

"I really don't know. I just thought that..you know, things would be more exciting."

"Have you had any luck figuring out about that thing inside your soul?"

Naruto almost laughed. Hinata was trying to steer the conversation into smoother waters. She never liked to see him get down or worried about anything, and always tried to steer him away from those things that bothered him.

"No."

In truth he had known for a long time what was residing within his soul. He had told the Hokage about it, and after a quick interrogation, the old man sent Naruto away, but not before making him promise he never talked about it with anyone.

The presence within his soul could be none other than his demonic tenant, Kyuubi. The fox obviously put up quite a fuss whenever Naruto transformed, and constantly tried to shake things up when he took his zanbatou form. He knew how to thwart the fox, but couldn't help but wonder what the demon was trying to achieve by throwing his wavelength into hysterics.

"Well, that is too bad."

Hinata's voice broke through his thoughts and Naruto glanced up at her as she began eating again. He scowled and pulled his hand away from hers.

"Why are you trying to get back in routine as if none of this has happened? Can't you see how boring we are becoming!"

"I know, Naruto! Ok, I feel it too, but what do you want me to do about it? We have a mission tomorrow and I need you fed, rested and ready to go. If you stay up worrying about this all the time, it could have bad repercussions."

He frowned at that; the girl sounded like she had read that right out of the ninja handbook.

"I'm going to bed. Thanks for the meal."

Naruto got up and was walking out of the kitchen before Hinata could protest. He would do as she recommended, he would rest and gather himself, and tomorrow the routine would swallow him up again. It was better that way.

* * *

The next day he woke up and left the house before Hinata woke up; he didn't really want to stick around for another argument.

As he stepped out of the apartment, he immediately scowled. The entire area was blanketed in thick fog and the sky was overcast; it would be yet another of those crummy days in Konoha. He was already in a foul mood as he walked down the familiar streets and alleyways. The city hadn't changed much over the months; there was a lot more rain and morning fog, but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary.

It hadn't taken long for the academy to grow old for the blonde. He was glad to be a Genin, but didn't think it counted for much. All he and Hinata had to do was synchronize and run an obstacle course to pass; needless to say, Team 5 blazed through both 'obstacles'.

He flicked the hita-ite on his forehead - it did little more than hold his hair down. As he passed along the street, he caught sight of himself as he passed a large shop window. Naruto turned to observe his attire. That had been a welcome change of course; he had burned his orange jumpsuit as soon as Hinata let him.

He now wore simple, black jacket over a plain white t-shirt. His pants were red cargo pants that sagged a little, giving him a casual, almost lazy look. On his feet he wore a black pair of tennis shoes, tied sloppily. His Genin headband was casually strapped across his head, holding back his most of his spiky hair however, some of his blond mane snuck around the hita-ite and hung over one of his eyes.

All in all, Naruto approved of his look. It was simple, laid-back, didn't attract attention and was easy to keep up with. It wasn't like he needed anything tactical; all he needed to do was transform and let Hinata kill things with him.

That reminded him of the girl's own change in style and attitude. Once he had finally gotten her pried from her shell, the girl had turned out to be pretty fun and a tad bit rebellious. Where once she was shy and unsure; she was now the first to lead and quick to have her say. A sort of mature confidence hung about her like an aura, and Naruto never really felt the need to question it. Hinata was just born to be a leader – it ran in her family's blood.

Though her demeanor was definitely Hyuga, her attire was something quite different. She had shucked her cargo pants for a black mini-skirt and covered her legs with long, striped, stockings in her favorite colors: white and purple. She now wore a pair of black combat boots, reinforced with steel plates. Hinata had kept her fur-lined jacket, but Naruto had to admit she was finally starting to fill it out. She also kept her hita-ite strapped around one thigh, which he found odd, but didn't question. Her whole wardrobe seemed to reflect a sense of self-assurance; she was letting people know she was her own person, Hyuga or not.

He smiled at the thought and caught sight of his reflection's sharp teeth. Naruto opened his mouth and poked at his elongated and oddly-sharp canines. Between the claws, sharp teeth and whisker marks, Naruto wondered if he would start getting furry and grow a tail soon.

"Damn Kyuubi.."

"Indeed."

Naruto looked over to his side, recognizing the voice immediately. Tsubaki's adopted father, Kakashi leaned against the wall a few feet away.

"Long time no see, Kakashi. Something I can help you with?"

"Sure can. The Hokage wants to see you..and Hinata."

He frowned; even though he and the old man were close, Sarutobi never held casual appointments with his partner before - that meant it would be mission related.

"We already have a mission today."

"This is more important, go collect your teammate and proceed to his office."

Without further explanation the white-haired man sighed and wandered off; Naruto watched him for a bit before turning and heading back to the apartment. It didn't take him long and he soon unlocked the door and stepped inside ever-so-quietly.

He snuck across the living room and stopped in front of the girl's bedroom door, pressing his ear against the wood; he couldn't hear any noise from inside - Hinata must still be asleep.

Naruto carefully twisted the handle until the door gently swung inward. His tennis shoes squeaked as he tip-toed across the white carpet and he cursed to himself and then went perfectly still as the girl moaned and rolled over under the covers. A few seconds passed and she didn't move again, so he continued his path until he was beside her bed. He listened intently to the girl's slow, measured breaths. Hinata was deep asleep and completely unprepared for what was coming.

Another thing that had changed over the course of time was Naruto's sense of civility. He no longer felt the need to tip-toe around people like he was walking on eggshells all day long; he had come to terms with people, and found a sense of freedom in 'not giving a fuck' as Kiba had put it. Life was too short to worry about the subtle mannerisms and bruised egos of other people.

Naruto had become impulsive.

Grinning like a mad-man, he leapt into the air and bellowed like a wild-thing. He hovered over the girl's bed for a few seconds and began to fall just as Hinata shrieked and poked her head through the covers. He collided with his frightened teammate and immediately attacked her sides and stomach with a flurry of tickles. She writhed and shrieked in surprise, but soon broke into a loud fit of giggles. He started laughing as well; it had been a while since he had been up early enough to wake his roommate.

She tried to squirm away from him, but he straddled her waist and grabbed both of her hands with one of his own. With one hand free he tickled her sides, arms, and under her chin with righteous fury. Hinata yowled, wriggled, laughed, cried, and squealed as she tried to escape him.

Naruto paused for a moment to let her collect her breath in between laughing fits. The Hyuga girl pouted at him with watery eyes. "Hahaha! Narutoooo! Please.."

"No more fights?"

She nodded furiously and watched with horror in her eyes as he raised his hand up and made it wriggle like a spider.

"And we are going to start doing fun things?"

"Y-yes! Anything you want, just lemme go!"

Naruto grinned evilly and let her hands go, leaning back and holding his belly as he imitated the 'evil-genius' laugh. He finished his victory celebration and looked down at the girl he was sitting atop.

"I should wake up early more often."

Hinata giggled at him before wiping the water and sleep from her eyes. She breathed in deeply and looked over at the alarm clock on her bedside table.

"It _is_ pretty early. What is the occasion?"

Naruto shrugged and rolled off of his roommate, flopping over onto the other side of her bed. He lay there for a moment and almost chuckled when he noticed she had painted the ceiling purple.

"We have to go meet with the old man."

He watched out of the corner of his eye as Hinata rolled onto her side and propped her head up to look at him.

"The Hokage? What for?"

"I dunno."

"Then how you do you know we are supposed to be there?"

Naruto turned his head to look at her. Somehow, Hinata still managed to look good after a full night's sleep. He looked like hell _every_ morning.

He felt his heart warm when she gave him a small smile.

"What?"

"You are so pretty, Hinata."

The girl's eyes widened and a little pink entered her cheeks.

"H-huh?"

"You are! .. in a punk rock kind of way."

He laughed when Hinata reached over and pinched him, but it was softer than usual. She cocked her eyebrows and squinted as she looked at him.

"Since when do you tell me I'm pretty? What are you trying to get out of me, Naruto?"

"Well now that you ask.."

Naruto waggled his eyebrows and looked down at the spaghetti strap shirt she wore to sleep in; the thin fabric was tight and coincidentally showed off her ample bust. His eyes lingered a little longer than he had planned.

Hinata saw his eyes wander and squealed before pulling the blanket up to her chin.

"Perv! I wasn't offering anything!"

* * *

After Hinata had kicked him out of her room and had gotten dressed, the two friends casually made their way to the Hokage tower. As they passed the secretary, the woman sent Naruto an exaggerated wink. He cocked an eyebrow at her and stopped to ask what the wink was for, but Hinata grabbed him and pulled him into Sarutobi's office.

The village leader was leaning back in his chair puffing on his pipe; his brows were furrowed as he read over a file. Smoke swirled around his head and he didn't look up as Naruto and Hinata stood at attention in front of his desk.

Naruto cleared his throat and scowled at the Hokage. "Oji-san, you called for us?"

"Naruto be respectful!"

He blew a raspberry at his partner; he knew what he could and couldn't get away with when it came to Sarutobi.

The older man looked over the file at them and smiled. "Ah yes, Team 5. You two look sprightly this morning.."

"Cut to the chase."

Sarutobi chuckled at the 'no nonsense' attitude of Naruto's. The blonde boy had become increasingly blunt and care-free as of late, and it showed in his posture. He hunched over a bit, his hands in his pockets and a frown upon his brow. The excited little boy had been replaced by an impatient young man.

"Very well. You are going to be dropped from your current mission. There is something I need you two to do for me."

Hinata blanched and her eyes went wide. They must've botched the last one and were being punished accordingly!

"H-Hokage-sama? We can accomplish this next mission without incident, I swear!"

Naruto frowned at his partner. Their last mission had been a simple message run to a nearby village, but they had ended up in a bar fight and 4 people had been hospitalized. The blonde didn't like it when drunks tried to grope his partner.

"Stuff it Hinata, we aren't being punished. That fight wasn't an incident either; those guys should've watched their hands."

He shushed her when she tried to argue on behalf of the men he had clobbered, then turned his gaze to Sarutobi and raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you sending us?"

"Wave country. Team 4 hasn't reported in yet and they were scheduled back two days ago."

Naruto felt a lump form in his throat. His friends must've been delayed by something pretty serious if they were late. Kiba was adamant on blazing through his missions as quickly as possible, and nine times out of ten, Team 4 came back early from their assignments.

"Why hasn't Kakashi been sent? He is probably worried about Tsubaki."

The Hokage sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He is worried alright. He is so worried that he put his fist through my wall when Tsubaki hadn't returned yet. I had to put him under house arrest as punishment. No, you two will be retrieving Team 4."

"Fine. When do we leave?"

"Immediately. Traveling packs have been delivered for you at the East gate."

Naruto nodded and pushed Hinata towards the door.

"We'll be going then."

"Good luck and be careful. We don't know if Team 4 is in trouble, so expect anything."

* * *

Naruto squinted into the horizon as the sun began to set then turned and smiled as Hinata caught up to him. They were both drenched in sweat from the pace he had set.

"Few more miles and we'll make camp, yeah?"

He frowned when Hinata whimpered and sat down, tossing her pack into the dirt beside her.

"Narutooo! I can't take another mile at this pace. Why are you in such a rush? We don't even know if they are in danger."

"Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Not in my case. I am exhausted!"

He chuckled and wiped his forehead with his shirt before crouching in front of his partner. Hinata had her head hung low as she looked at the ground and Naruto gently pulled her chin up to look at him; her face was dirty and had streaks on it from where the sweat had trickled.

"Just a few more miles and I will let you rest while I cook us some food, okay?"

Hinata pouted and let her eyelids droop.

"I'm too tired, Naruto. I couldn't possibly take another step."

The blonde frowned a little. The Hyuga girl wasn't one to lie, and definitely not one to give up and he wondered if he really had pushed them too much after all.

"You sure?"

The girl nodded and looked a little disappointed with herself. Naruto may have been neutral about most things, but he wasn't about to let the girl feel like she had failed him.

"No problem, I forgot those boots of yours weighed so much. Come here."

Hinata raised an eyebrow as he pulled her to her feet and turned his back to her. He quickly strapped his backpack to his chest and knelt down in front of her.

"Jump on."

"Naruto..this is really sweet, but you can't carry me. You are just as tired as I am."

"Wrong. I am a man, and men don't get tired until long after women do. Plus, you got stumpy little legs. Jump on."

He smiled when she smacked the back of his head. He wasn't by any means sexist, but Hinata was a firm believer in equality between men and women and he teased her constantly about it.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and she carefully climbed onto his back, wrapping her slender arms around his neck. Naruto smirked, wrapped his own arms around her thighs and then settled her in place.

"..my legs aren't stumpy, idiot.." she muttered.

With a little effort he got up off his knees and began walking. The pace was slow for a bit, but once Hinata got comfortable and relaxed her grip on his neck he could start walking faster.

About an hour later he felt Hinata's head come to rest on his shoulder. Naruto could feel her breathing calm, and her chest rose and fell slowly against his back. The poor thing had fallen asleep.

Naruto smiled to himself and slowed his pace a little so the ride wouldn't be so bumpy. They had a long ways to go and the girl would need as much rest as she could get.

They passed by the campground and Naruto cast a glance at it before continuing on.

* * *

Hinata yawned and snuggled a little more into her pillow. She could tell she was drooling a little and licked her lips to get rid of the excess moisture. Her nose wrinkled when the taste of salt and dirt hit her tongue.

Slowly she opened her eyes and blinked when the side of Naruto's face filled her vision. Her memory kicked in and she vaguely remembered falling asleep while he carried her. It wasn't like she could help herself; the boy's calm gait and his warmth had lulled her to sleep better than any lullaby.

A little heat rose in her cheeks when she noticed that her 'pillow' had actually been Naruto's shoulder, and she had drooled a little into his white shirt.

She looked around a bit and noticed it was still dark; it made her wonder how long she had been asleep. The campground hadn't been but a few miles away, right?

Naruto must've felt her move, because he turned his head and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hey..you're awake."

"Mmm, sorry about dozing off."

"It's no problem.."

She frowned at how tired the boy sounded. Had carrying her really sapped his energy so quickly?

"You sound beat. Are we almost at the camping spot?"

"Uh..no, we passed that a while back."

Hinata detected something off in her partner's voice and leaned over his shoulder to look him in the eye.

"And how long is a while back?"

"Oh..5 or 6 hours, tops."

"Whaaat!"

The stupid idiot had carried her all night! She flailed her legs and he let them slide out of his grasp without a fight. She stumbled for a second, but grabbed his jacket and swung him around to face her. His face was gaunt, his eyes were red, and salt had crystallized on his temples from all the sweat.

"Naruto! What are you doing! Why didn't you stop?"

"..needed to hurry.."

"No! We do not need to hurry so much that you kill yourself from exhaustion! We are stopping right now."

The blonde frowned and pushed one of her hands away before stumbling sideways and falling over. Hinata squeaked in surprised, and knelt down to check him over.

She sighed in relief when she felt a pulse; her partner had passed out from exhaustion. His breathing was deep and slow and she smiled sadly at the worn out boy.

Naruto was always trying so hard to do everything for her and Konoha. Sure, he would pretend to be lazy and not care, but she could see through it. The blonde had a lot of pride in what he did and who he was.

Hinata quickly rummaged through her bag and found a small bag of soldier pills. She popped one of the pills and swallowed it down. Despite a good night's sleep, she knew the extra energy couldn't hurt. After putting the bag away, she took both of their backpacks and slung them onto her back.

Not wanting to leave Naruto lying unconscious on an open road in the early morning, she pushed him up until he was sitting. Carefully she wrapped her arms around the boy's chest and began dragging him into the forest.

She didn't stop until they were in a small clearing a good 30 yards from the road. By the time she got Naruto situated and comfortable, she was sweating profusely and had to sit down to catch her breath. It made her frown when she thought about how much it tired her. Naruto had carried her and two backpacks for nearly 7 hours without stopping, while it nearly killed her to drag him off the road.

_I need to work out more._

Hinata cast her gaze to Naruto's sleeping form. She had used his backpack as a makeshift pillow and had covered him with one of their traveling blankets. He seemed comfortable enough, but she knew she would have to get some food and water in him before long.

It took a little while, but she soon had a pot of water boiling over a small fire and had secured the perimeter with explosive tags and tripwire. She didn't expect anyone to bother them, but with Naruto in his condition, she didn't want to take any chances.

Once the camp was setup she began tending to her partner. She soaked one of her shirts with water from her canteen and gently moved Naruto so his head was lying in her lap. Carefully she started to clean the dirt and salt from his face. He smiled faintly in his sleep as she cleaned the dirt from the corner of his eyes.

"..the best..-nata.."

Hinata bit back a giggle. Naruto was praising her in his sleep and it was almost too funny. Not in a million years would he have swallowed his pride enough to let her wash him, in his sleep however, the blonde had no such qualms.

She smiled when he nuzzled into her hand when she cleaned some dirt from his cheek. It was like playing with a kitten, as he constantly reacted every time she touched his face. Curiosity took over as the make-shift cloth passed over the tell-tale scars etched into his cheeks. Hinata careful ran her fingers over the whisker marks and gasped when she felt how soft the grooved lines really were. In all their time together, she had never once felt those mysterious lines.

It took a while, but eventually his face was clear of dirt and grime. Satisfied with her work, Hinata removed his headband and began cleaning his spiky mane of hair.

As she ran a wet comb, and then her fingers through his hair, she couldn't help but blush as her mind wandered.

What would it be like to wash Naruto like this all the time? She knew that her Mama had washed her Papa quite often, and it was a common practice among married couples in the village, but what of her and Naruto? They lived together after all, didn't that count them as a couple?

She blushed and shook her head. No, they weren't a couple; they were _partners_. They were a team and friends, nothing more, nothing less. She often entertained the idea of being something more to Naruto, but never had the nerve to ask him how he felt.

She couldn't bear to think of what it would do to their friendship if he rejected her affections, and thus left the subject alone. It didn't keep her from wishing though, and as she looked down at Naruto she could picture just how easy it would be to lean down and claim his lips for her own.

Naruto shot that fantasy all to hell when his eyes blinked open and he squinted up at her. His eyes were bloodshot and the violent clash of red and blue gave them a weird look; she just stared down at him.

"..see something you like, punk rock?"

She shook her head and smiled sadly at him.

"You are an idiot."

"Maybe. Where are we?"

"In a clearing a few yards off from the road. I secured the area and am making some vegetable stew, so you just stay put."

Naruto whined and tried to pull himself up, but she placed her hands on his shoulders and held him in place. The blonde ninja resisted a little before giving up and leaning his head back down against her lap. Hinata then turned to check the pot of stew..

"W-w-what are you doing!"

She looked down and realized in horror just how short her mini-skirt really was. Naruto was running his whiskers along the inside of her bare thigh, sending shivers up her spine. The boy was grinning playfully as he rubbed his soft cheek against the smooth, sensitive skin between her legs. That wasn't the worst part however, as his spiky hair had disappeared beneath her skirt and was tickling her panties.

Hinata's face went pure crimson and she brought her fist smashing into Naruto's nose. It had been an automatic reaction and she immediately regretted it as the boy's head snapped back and he rolled a few feet before flopping over and howling as he cradled his face.

* * *

Naruto had enjoyed waking up in Hinata's care..that is, he had enjoyed it until her fist crashed into his nose. The blood flowed freely and he rolled on the ground howling as he tried to staunch the wound.

After the shock was over and Hinata had come back to her senses, she whimpered and ran over to him. She produced a wet cloth and pressed it up against his nose, stopping the flow of crimson.

He dropped his hands onto his chest and wiped the blood on his dirty, white shirt. Naruto scowled up at her as she looked down at him, an apologetic grin on her pretty face. "I'm sorry, Naruto, really. You had it coming though. Y-you can't just bury your face in a girl's crotch and not expect some kind of reaction."

A dry chuckle escaped his lips and he shrugged. He might regret it if he nose was broken, but as it was, he knew he would've done it all over again at the drop of a hat.

After his nose had stopped bleeding, Hinata helped him eat and drink and he went back to sleep; he decided to take her advice and get his energy back before they moved on. He did, however, make her promise to wake him once the sun rose.

* * *

Sure enough, the girl woke him just as the sun was cutting through the morning fog. After a small breakfast of cold oatmeal, the two gathered up the traps and made their way back onto the road.

Naruto stretched and rubbed his muscles; they were a little sore, but he felt energized. "We should be about 3 hours away from that bridge."

"What bridge?"

"The one that is going to connect Fire Country with Wave. Don't you watch the news?"

He grinned when Hinata shook her head. He didn't watch or read the news either; Kakashi had told him a little something extra about the mission as they were escorted out of Konoha.

"Well anyways, we will be there soon enough."

Without another word, Naruto took off down the road with Hinata close behind. He was determined to find Team 4 and beat Kiba soundly for making him worry.

* * *

**-Oh noes! A timeskip! Assuming the Konoha school year starts in August, it would be getting close to Spring time by now..**


	6. The Bridge

**Master and Weapon**

_The Bridge_

Naruto caught sight of the bridge just a little before noon. Despite the heat, there was still a good amount of fog cover concealing the massive construct.

He turned and pointed at Hinata, "You thought we wouldn't make it in time. Ha!"

The Hyuga girl came to stop and bent over to suck in huge breaths. They had run most of the way, stopping only occasionally to drink and soothe their aching sides.

"Y-yeah..you win. Whoopity doo.."

Naruto chuckled and stretched his arms, casting his gaze back at the bridge. He was no judge of construction, but guessed that it must've taken the better part of a decade to near this last stage of completion. Kakashi had said that all that was left to complete on the massive bridge was to connect the two separate ends. Naruto guessed that meeting point had to be a good mile or so out over the sea.

He heard Hinata walk up beside him and felt her lean against his arm.

"Happy now? Kiba and Tsubaki are just over that bridge, probably taking a little vacation before returning home."

"Oh? Wouldn't that be romantic?"

Naruto turned his head and grinned down at the girl with her head rested against his bicep. She looked up at him and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it actually would, but Kiba is too much of a freak to have any fun with..romantically," she stated.

"Oh I'm sure you have found him charming once or twice.."

He dodged a swipe from Hinata and loped towards the ramp leading up to the bridge. Hinata started to chase him, but stopped and squinted past him into the fog. Curious, Naruto turned and looked through the fog himself.

Two figures leaned against the bridge railing a few yards away.

The two men wore identical black robes, the hoods pulled down to conceal their faces. Naruto snapped his fingers and Hinata slowly walked up to his side.

"What do you think?"

"Not at all suspicious.."

He smirked and grabbed his partners pack, lifting it up as she raised her arms and slid out of the straps. Carefully, he removed the bag of soldier pills from within and popped two in his mouth before crunching them into powder and swallowing. He took another out for Hinata and pushed it in between her lips.

"Get that down and then we'll try to pass them. Get ready to catch me if they attack."

Hinata nodded and locked arms with him. He cocked an eyebrow at her as they began walking up the bridge ramp.

She looked up at him and winked, "If they ask..our cover story is that I am your young bride from Fire Country that you are bringing back to meet your parents in Wave."

"Uh huh..and why would we need a cover story?"

"You never know.."

"Don't get too comfortable, punk rock. I wouldn't marry into your crazy family as long as I still had strength enough to slit my own throat."

Hinata punched his arm with her free hand and scowled. Naruto was about to ask what the sour look was for, but they were nearing the cloaked men so he turned his attention to the matter at hand.

He kept his gaze straight forward, but watched the two cloaked figures in his peripheral vision. It was a good thing too, because had he been any more lax in his observation, he would've missed the slight nod that passed between the two strangers.

"Hinata move!"

Out of pure reflex, Naruto pulled the girl in front of him and pushed her ahead as something whistled past his chin.

They had aimed for Hinata's head!

With a growl he rolled sideways and transformed his right arm into a blade in one motion. One of the men had a gauntlet pointed in his direction - a hole in the palm indicating where to projectile had been fired from.

Naruto kicked off the ground and flew across the ground towards his attackers. In the blink of an eye he was upon them, bringing his blade arm across in a wide sweep in an attempt to split their bellies.

_Die_, his inner voice hissed.

The two assailants apparently hadn't expected retaliation and barely dodged as his blade ripped through one of their cloaks. Not pausing, Naruto darted left and caught one of the men with a sweeping kick to the stomach before he could land.

His opponent flew backwards and smacked against the railing with enough force to crack the thick concrete. The blonde hissed and leapt over to his stunned foe, closing the gap between them. The cloaked man swung at him as he advanced, but Naruto caught the man's wrist and pulled it aside as he plunged his blade arm forward. There was the gratifying sound of ripped flesh and snapped bone as his blade arm punched through the poor bastard's ribs.

The fight had last all of 20 seconds and already their first opponent was skewered and dying.

Naruto ripped off his attacker's hood and scowled when he saw the man was wearing a ninja mask and had a hita-ite across his brow. The unknown ninja's eyes were wide and frightened.

"You..t-too fast.." the man blurted, crimson bubbling between his lips.

There was a flash of red in Naruto's vision and he had an urge to bite – like really bite into the dying mans neck and rip out his jugular.

"Wha-?" he spat, shaking his head and stepping backwards away from the man. _What the fuck was that?_

He didn't have time to collect his thoughts however, as an anguished scream rent the air. He quickly looked over to where the other stranger was standing frozen in place.

He hadn't noticed during the fight, but the other mystery ninja had shed his torn cloak and looked identical to the man he had just gutted, their masks, their outfits, even their weapons were identical. Both men wore large clawed gauntlets on their left arms.

_Twins?_

They may have looked the part of killers, but Naruto was slightly disappointed. He snorted and turned back to look at the man affixed to his blade-arm. "What is your name?"

The dying man looked into his eyes in bewilderment and confusion. "M-meizu.."

Naruto could've sworn he had heard that name before somewhere..

"Meizu and Gozu, the Demon Brothers of the Hidden Mist, they were ranked Chuunin before going rogue."

Naruto turned and looked to where Hinata was scanning the pages of a small, red book. The girl had recited that information straight out of the Bingo book, so it must've been true.

He returned his gaze to the dying ninja, but the man's eyes were closed and he was slumping over onto Naruto's blade arm. The blonde felt a shiver of excitement run up his spine; he had just disposed of a dangerous and highly-wanted Missing-nin in less than half a minute!

He didn't have much time to reflect on that however, as the other ninja charged him. The other brother, Gozu, was obviously in a rage and his attacks came fast and wild. The blonde had to retreat and use everything he had to just block the seeking gauntlet weapon.

After one especially nasty side-swipe from the older man's gauntlet, Naruto kicked the back of Gozu's knee and the man tumbled forward.

Using the pause in combat, the blonde jumped away from his opponent and transformed completely mid-air. He flew over to Hinata, who caught him and twirled him before leveling the blade towards the enraged twin.

* * *

Hinata smirked when Naruto jumped away from their attacker and flew over to her.

_He finally wants to work as a team._

She caught the familiar blade and twirled it expertly before settling into a defensive stance. She felt Naruto's wavelength mix with her own, and felt his power wash over her. It was something she had never gotten used to; the sudden ocean of power that flooded out of Naruto when he transformed never failed to awe her and give her goose bumps.

Gozu paused for a moment and tilted his head in confusion. It was almost comical, but Hinata could sympathize with the man. It wasn't every day one saw a teenage girl swinging around a zanbatou the size of a canoe.

She beckoned the man with her free hand. "Come Gozu, fight me."

"You will die, little girl! That buki cannot protect you from my wrath!"

Without further words, Gozu flew across the gap between them and swung at Hinata's face. She backpedalled and brought Naruto around to deflect the blow. The metal claws screeched as they ran across the flat part of her weapon and she cringed.

"Owww.."

"_**Incoming," **_Naruto's voice warned inside her head, _**"careful, the claws might be poisoned."**_

The man swiped at Hinata, aiming at her legs - she dodged by leaping into the air. Still airborne, Hinata brought the zanbatou around and slashed downward at Gozu. He jumped backward with a hiss and watched as she flew a ways before descending.

Hinata landed and immediately went into a roll as Gozu crossed the distance and slashed at her with his claws. Ducking under the gauntlet, she attempted to sweep his feet out from under him with a low kick, but he bent his knee and trapped her foot beneath it. He chuckled and backhanded her with his freehand, sending her rolling a few times.

"_**Well we haven't seen that one before.."**_

She growled at Naruto's observation and pushed herself to her feet. Gozu was already running at her and she charged at him in return. Just before they were about to meet, she slammed Naruto's massive blade into the ground and grasped his hilt with both hands. Using her built up momentum she swung herself through the air and planted both booted feet in Gozu's face.

The enemy ninja howled as his head snapped back and he was laid out completely. Hinata smirked and used the rest of her momentum to swing herself back around and tug the zanbatou from the concrete in one smooth motion.

Hinata rested the blade on her shoulder as she casually paced around downed man in a semi-circle.

"Surrender."

Gozu snorted and launched himself upwards off his back. The man landed on his feet and released a handful of shuriken at her, which she deflected easily. He then tried to advance on her as she batted the projectiles away - she was prepared for that..

Hinata smirked as she brought Naruto around to slash at the masked man. The red sword whistled through the air and caught the edge of Gozu's gauntlet just as he did a back flip to escape the seeking blade.

It could've been counted as a lucky grazing, but even receiving a 'nick' from the demonic zanbatou had proved to be fatal in some of Team 5's battles. Naruto's serrated edge had ripped a deep gash through the thick metal gauntlet and a few of the metal claws had gone limp.

Gozu landed a few feet away and howled, punching the gauntlet with his free hand.

"Stupid thing!"

"Your weapon is not a buki?"

The man scowled at Hinata and shook his head.

"No, I don't trust them."

"I'm glad."

Hinata crossed the space between herself and Gozu in an instant, bringing Naruto around in a crossways slash. So distracted with his broken weapon was Gozu, that he didn't have time to blink before the massive, sawed edge ripped him open from shoulder to hip.

Zanbatou-inflicted wounds were never known to be graceful or subtle and that was especially the case with Gozu..

The ugly wound was easily classified as mortal, and the man's eyes rolled back into his head as he fell backwards onto the cement. There was a sick crunch when his body landed; crimson and gore pooled around his corpse.

"_**Uh..wow, Hinata."**_

"Shut up, it's your fault for being so big. A normal sword would've just cut him, not sawed him in two.."

"_**A normal sword also might not have finished the fight in one blow.."**_

Hinata snorted and slammed the sword-boy's edge into the concrete for the second time that day. She didn't feel like arguing with Naruto about the finer points of weapon form, not now anyways. Unlike the blonde, she didn't like taking lives and it still had an effect on her after all these months.

Warily she edged her way over to the dead ninja and began rifling through his pockets for something that would tell them why the two were here waiting for them. Hinata heard Naruto dispel his sword form and walk up behind her.

"Robbing the dead now are we?"

She growled at him and pointed over to the corpse of the other twin.

"Just check him, will ya?"

* * *

The blonde ninja whined as he cocked his neck to look over at the other brother he had skewered earlier. "Ah c'mon Hinata..he's dead already.."

"He might have information on him. Did you pay attention at all at the academy?"

"Nope."

He smirked when Hinata looked over at him and raised her eyebrows in annoyance. He immediately saw the girl was serious and decided to save the joking for later. Sighing loudly he made his way over to Meizu's body. The man was lying face down in a pool of blood and the blonde had to roll him over to get to his pockets. After a quick search revealed nothing, he wiped the blood on his cargo pants and stood up.

"Nothing on this guy."

"Mm."

He turned and cocked an eyebrow at his partner. She had a small, blood-soaked note in her hands and was reading it intently.

Naruto crossed the distance between them and squatted down to look over her shoulder.

"..Konoha may send reinforcements before too long so keep an eye on the Fire end of the bridge. Do NOT kill anyone. Let them come to me. - Z."

Hinata noticed him reading over her shoulder and folded the note carefully before putting it in one of her coat pockets. He blew a raspberry at her and stood up.

"Well whoever this Mr. Z is, he knew we were coming and planned accordingly. Although..we _did _make short work of his preparations.."

Naruto whistled and pulled his jacket out of his pack. He hadn't worn it most of the trip, but the fog and ocean spray was getting chilly.

"What do you think, Hinata? We just beat the shit out of two Chuunin in like..5 minutes."

"Naruto.."

"What? I'm just saying we have improved is all!"

Naruto frowned when she rolled her eyes at him and rummaged through her own pack. He watched as she produced her canteen and a dirty shirt. The girl soaked the shirt and cleaned the blood from her hands before tossing the make-shift rag to him.

"Clean yourself off."

He took the rag and wiped off his hands before tossing the rag back to his partner. Hinata's mood had changed considerably after the fight and he could guess as to why. The Hyuga heiress abhorred killing, no matter what name it was given. Assassination, pacification, self-defense..murder? It was all the same to Hinata and was the only thing that really ever came between them.

"Hinata, seriously, this is like the twentieth time we've had to kill someone and you still get all moody afterwards. Get over it!"

She scowled at him and stuffed the bloody shirt back into her pack and zipped it up.

"Get over it? We just ended two lives, Naruto, doesn't that bother you?"

"No. We killed two criminals that have killed far more than their fair share of innocents. I feel no shame in ridding the world of their scum."

"And who gives you the right to pass judgment?"

Naruto frowned, he knew where the conversation would go and just exactly would be the outcome. He and Hinata would argue until they were both blue in the face and he would end up apologizing a few hours later just so they could resume talking.

So, instead of repeating yet another dramatic battle of words that would drive a rift in between them for a day or two, Naruto sighed and shook his head in defeat.

"No one does. Let's go already."

He almost smirked when Hinata had to bite her tongue. More than likely she had readied a salvo of things to back up her accusation, but had been unprepared for his quick surrender. She blinked a few times in confusion and frowned at him.

"W-wait, what?"

"You are right..about everything. Now can we please get out of here and find Team 4?"

"So..you agree then?"

Naruto sighed and shrugged before shouldering his backpack and setting off down the bridge, leaving Hinata behind with the two dead ninja.

* * *

As his stride swallowed up the distance between him and the village, Naruto pondered the predicament his friends might have gotten themselves into.

It didn't take too long before the heavy clomp of boots invaded his thoughts and he was shoved roughly from behind.

"Jerk! You just leave me to dispose of the bodies.."

"Hn."

He didn't pay attention as his companion went into a rant about chivalry being dead and other things he didn't really care about.

In truth, Naruto wasn't really in the mood to talk and had spent the last half hour stewing over the note they had found. Someone knew that backup was being sent – hell, _"Mr. Z"_ had even planted two well-known ninja to _guard_ the bridge.

Something didn't agree with the blonde and he wished he would've asked more about Team 4's mission before they had left home. The Demon Brothers weren't petty thugs to be put on watchdog duty by just anyone. Someone very rich or..very dangerous was pulling the strings and Naruto couldn't help but feel they were walking into a trap.

"Hinata.."

"Oh now you wanna talk!"

Naruto cast his gaze over to the girl walking beside him. They were nearly at the connection point of both sides of the bridge and he could pick up chatter and noise coming through the fog.

"Take off your headband and put it in one of the bags."

Hinata gave him a weird look but nodded and untied the fabric from her leg and stuffed it into her pack. Naruto undid his own hita-ite and put it away. His spiky blonde hair fell down over his eyes and he grumbled in annoyance.

"This sucks, but I don't want anyone to know that we are ninja..yet. Someone knows we are coming and he expects proud, Konoha shinobi to wander into his web blindly."

"You think this _Z_ is really that clever?"

"To convince Gozu and Meizu to watch over a stupid bridge he is either very clever or very rich; let's hope it is the latter."

He knew he was probably grasping for false hope, but Hinata didn't need to get worked up, so he sugar-coated things. In truth he was pretty sure that they would be attacked when they least expected it and he would have to pull a miracle out of his ass to keep them alive.

Naruto turned when Hinata sighed audibly and peered off into the fog.

"I hope Team 4 is alright.."

The blonde hoped as much as well. If an ambush had been set for him and Hinata, then there was no telling what kind of situation his friends had gotten into..

* * *

They reached the middle of the bridge and crossed a tiny rope bridge that swung between the two ends of the massive construct. The bridge workers were quiet as they passed by and Naruto couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with the hooded glances sent his way.

The people of Wave were apparently very suspicious of outsiders, especially ones with blood-stained t-shirts and sharp teeth. Naruto almost laughed out loud when he smiled at a few of the workers and they brandished their tools defensively as if warding off a wild animal. One of the larger workers even took it upon himself to tail them until they were well into the village.

Other than the occasional glance or whispered conversation, the port-village was similar to any other village they had visited in their travels. The villagers weren't much different; the buildings were all built in the same familiar patterns and the village didn't seem to lack for shops and restaurants.

One thing that set Naruto off though, was the lack of children. Nowhere were there children playing or causing mischief - it made the village feel otherworldly and a tad foreboding.

After wondering around a bit, Naruto managed to get directions to a hotel from a shopkeeper, who kept glancing out his door to see if anyone saw him helping the blonde. Naruto tried to pay the man, but was ushered out the door swiftly.

"You would think we were cursed by people's reactions," Hinata commented quietly as they left.

He and Hinata reached the hotel and purchased one of the vacant hotel rooms, much to the delight of the owner. The few gold coins Naruto gave the older man had warmed his opinion so much so that he told the blonde that food and drinks would be sent to their room free of extra charge.

Naruto would've loved to have gone to the room and showered before plopping down to take a nap, but he had questions that needed answers. So, when the owner's young daughter came around to show them to their room, he sent Hinata with the girl and promised to join her soon.

The Hyuuga heiress scowled at him, but caught sight of her reflection in a mirror behind the front counter and seeing the filthy state she was in, didn't argue very much before following the girl to their room, leaving Naruto with the old man.

* * *

Once the two women had left, the old man's face brightened and he shot Naruto a crinkled smile. "So what can I do you for? Scented oils? Chocolates?"

Naruto paused for a bit and cocked an eyebrow. "Uh..what would I need those for?"

The balding man winked and tapped his bent nose, "For that pretty little bride of yours, boy!"

Naruto blanched at the man's words and almost corrected the owner, but his ninja training caught him first. To visit foreign places without a laudable alibi had been the downfall of countless ninja and spy master. Just traveling around for "sight-seeing" didn't cut it in the tense age that he had grown up in. Nowadays there were so many spies and counter-spies that giving someone the wrong time of day could have you thrown in prison.

"Uhh, yeah my bride, right.."

The old man didn't seem to notice Naruto's pause in speech and cackled before reaching underneath the counter and producing a tall green bottle and a corkscrew.

"This bottle is on the house, but extra's will cost you."

Naruto tried to protest but the owner waved him off and put the items in a bag before handing them over. He knew Hinata would get a kick out of this later.

Accepting the gift, Naruto put the brown bag on the floor beside him and leaned across the counter towards the older fellow.

"I really appreciate it, but I have _other_ things I need from you."

"..and just what kind of things do you need, sir?"

Naruto sighed and looked around the room quickly before turning back to the hotel owner. The older man squinted at him curiously and absentmindedly began scrubbing the pristine counter with a dirty rag.

"Two of my friends came into town a week or so ago. I haven't heard from them in a while and was hoping they were still around."

The older man paused at that and looked around the room before motioning for him to get closer. Naruto obliged and leaned over the counter as inconspicuously as he could.

"A young couple showed up about a week ago with Tazuna the bridge builder, they stayed here for a night and left the next morning. Some..shady fellows came calling on em', but they had paid their bill and left by then; I haven't seen hide nor hair of them since.."

Naruto couldn't help but grin at the thought of Kiba and Tsubaki using the same alibi he was; more importantly though, Team 4 knew someone was tracking them, and that gave him a glimmer of hope.

He deftly slipped a single gold coin onto the counter which the older man palmed quickly.

"Thanks."

The owner smiled widely and winked.

"You have a good time! Call if you need anything else!"

Naruto smirked and walked out of the lobby. As he made his way into the hall he caught the owner's daughter as she was returning and she gave him another room key and his room number.

After a short walk, he reached his room, unlocked the door and stepped inside, tossing the brown bag onto the bed and stripping off his bloody shirt.

The room was cool and he shuddered before flopping unceremoniously onto the bed and falling asleep within minutes.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of the port-village..

Kenji Tomora was known around the village as bad news. A sword for hire and ex-soldier, Kenji had killed more men than he had aged in years. Scars decorated his ropey muscles like badges of honor, tokens of a life lived on the edge.

Normal men trembled in his presence, and more than a few "killers" themselves gave him a wide berth.

Today however, it was Kenji feeling uncomfortable as he made his way into his employer's makeshift office.

The dark room was dusty and unkempt, and he squinted through the dim light as he made his way over to the lone desk occupying the room.

A lantern hanging in the corner cast an eerie red glow across the office and shadows of midnight lurked in between the shafts of crimson light, filled with imagined threats and assassins.

Kenji was on edge.

"I came here as soon as I could, boss.." he mumbled, addressing the lone figure occupying the old, leather armchair behind the desk.

Not once, in the past few weeks that he had worked for this "_Mr. Z_" had Kenji seen the man's face. He could make out long, almost delicate fingers twirling a knife expertly from the darkness of the high-backed chair, but that was about all he could glimpse in the darkness. It was like talking to a shadow with hands, and it was oddly unnerving for the mercenary.

"The brothers..?"

Kenji felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. Mr. Z's voice was deep and smooth, a hint of mischief or barely concealed delight in it – Kenji couldn't say which.

"Uh, the two kids killed em', the chick blew fire on the bodies and torched em'."

There was a short pause in the knife twirling.

"A fire jutsu? Interesting.."

Kenji shuffled uncomfortably and glanced back at the door to the room. He immediately turned his attention back to the other man in the room, when the chair squeaked and rolled backwards from the desk.

"Uh..boss?"

"Kenji you have been a good mercenary, taking orders unquestioningly and carrying out your duties. This whole time you have worked for me, you have been expecting pay for a job well done with no questions asked. Correct?"

Kenji began backing towards the door as he nodded his head. If there was one thing you gained from being a sell-sword, it was a knack for sensing a double-cross. The game had gone sour and he was almost certain things were about to get bad.

"I'm just going to leave now. You keep the money."

The lantern went out and the room went pitch-black. A light chuckle emanated from the darkness and Kenji drew his sword when he heard the old chair squeak as weight was lifted from it.

"Sorry, I didn't have any money to give you in the first place. The other two people I hired thought I had money as well..but those two kids spared me the trouble of informing them otherwise."

The dark swallowed his senses and Kenji slashed out at the enclosing blackness, hoping against all odds that he would back into the door and make his escape.

"Hehehe, you nearly got me just there.."

Kenji lost control of his extremities at that point, warm liquid trickling down his leg. The mysterious man had crossed the room and was circling him like a snake in the dark!

"Get away from me you freak!"

Those would be the last words Kenji Tomora would ever say. Just as the last syllable left his tongue, the lantern came back on and flooded the room with light.

The mercenary blinked twice..then died.


	7. Mysterious Woman

Oh lawdy, lawdy I thought I'd never write on this story again, but recent reviews have inspired me to dabble again in this little cross-over.

**I read over the story and was appalled at just how bad I was at writing dialogue, so I can assure you the story will be more 'put together' from here on.**

**Let's see..**

**

* * *

**

_**Master and Weapon**_

_Mysterious Woman_

Hinata's palm slid across the bathroom's small mirror – wiping away the condensed water so she could see her reflection. She breathed a contented sigh when she saw that the day's travels had been washed away, leaving her smooth, pale skin to glow in the dim light.

She ran her comb slowly through her midnight tresses, the soft porcelain teeth separating and straightening her still-wet hair. It felt so good to be clean and presentable again.

Once she was done combing out her hair, she put it in a loose ponytail and then slipped into her bathrobe; the robe was made of pure, fluffy cotton and reached just down above her knees. She was grateful for the thick garment too, because the moment she opened the bathroom door, a rush of cold air flooded inwards, sending a chill straight up her spine.

"G-god!" she hissed, feeling goose bumps crawl up and down her legs and arms, "-Naruto turn off the air-conditioner!"

She stormed into the room, lavender eyes full of fury, only to spot Naruto, sprawled out on _her_ bed.. shirtless.

'_You dirty, rotten..'_

The room only had one bed, and her blond partner had hi-jacked it. Forget that he was shirtless, forget that he was, as Ino would put it, 'hunk flesh', forget that she had a temptation to pounce on the unsuspecting buki..

"That is _my_ bed!" she yowled, kicking Naruto's leg with a slipper-covered foot.

He didn't budge.

Cursing her luck, Hinata ran over to the air-conditioner, squealing when the machine blew a blast of icy air up her robe, and shut it off. It slowly died, blowing one long breath as an act of defiance.

"When you wake up..ohhhh boy, you're dead.." she spat at the unconscious boy.

Hastily, Hinata rummaged through her bag, found some underwear, and then slipped them on. Her face had turned red for some reason too, and despite the cold she could feel the heat in her cheeks.

'_What? He's asleep. Wouldn't dare peek on me anyways..'_

These thoughts were sort of discouraging to her - oddly enough - and she pondered herself for a moment. It wasn't like she wanted Naruto to see her nude, but the fact that he might not _want_ to; it bothered her for some reason.

"Stupid.." she whispered into the silence as she slipped under the covers with a sigh.

* * *

In the silence of the night, a lone young woman walked calmly through the darkened streets, her kimono sighing softly as the fabric whispered against the wearer's movements. The woman's steps were small – movements elegant – as she made her way across the square towards the hotel at the end of the street; a soft yellow glow shone in the window.

Inside, the owner stacked chairs in the eating area while his daughter cleaned dishes in the back room. They were almost finished with the day's cleaning, when the bell at the entrance rang softly, startling the older man. He wiped his hands on a rag hanging from his belt before going to the door, "Ah, the restaurant is closed for the night but if.."

The woman stood framed against the doorway, delicate hands crossed in front of her as she looked over the hotel lobby.

Finding his voice again, the owner bowed and shuffled around behind the counter, "What can I do for you, ma'am?"

The woman smiled politely and set a small bag on the counter, "A young couple came here yesterday: a blond boy and a girl with white eyes.." she paused and raised her eyebrows, seeking confirmation.

The owner answered without thinking, "Yes, yes of course! Young wife n' husband!"

"Yes.. I want you to give them a message for me," the woman continued, taking a few gold coins out of her bag before sliding them across the counter towards the owner.

"Tell them that I have information on their friends and will meet them tomorrow at the fish market. Tell them to look for a red umbrella.."

The owner bobbed his head like madman, having already pocketed the coins, "Yes ma'am."

With a smile and slight bow, the woman stepped out onto the street and disappeared, leaving no trace she'd even been there. Even as the owner peered up and down the street, he saw no sign of the woman; he even scanned the rooftops out of habit.

"Father? Who was that..?" came the voice of the owner's daughter, her brow knit curiously.

"..the strangest woman I've ever met.." the older man replied, shutting the screen door behind him.

* * *

Naruto woke up late the next morning feeling slightly sweaty and sore. He groaned and cracked an eye open, only to be greeted by the bland, egg-shell colored ceiling of the hotel room.

"You're up," Hinata stated, her voice coming from near the window, "-about time."

The blond smiled and sat up, running a hand through his dirty hair, "Breakfast?" he asked. He could smell the faint scent of egg and dumplings on the air and it made his stomach growl.

"Mine. You get a shower first.."

"But I'm hungry.."

Hinata gave him a 'Don't mess with me' look and he shrugged, "Fine."

Hauling himself up onto his feet, Naruto stretched and heard his joints pop. He noticed again he was slightly sweaty and he looked over to where the air-conditioner lay silent.

"Why'd you turn it off?"

"I was cold."

"Well duh, but I'm burning up.."

"So?"

Naruto frowned and gave Hinata a look. He had no idea why she was being so bi-polar lately, but it was starting to grate on his nerves.

"What's your problem, Punk Rock?" he asked, crossing his arms defiantly.

His partner looked up at him from her breakfast and scowled, "You _stole_ my bed."

"Uh, there is only one. We have to share."

"I _know_ that! But you should have offered to sleep on the floor!"

"Why? The floor is uncomfortable," Naruto stated matter-of-factly while rubbing sleep from his eyes. It was to his ultimate downfall though, because had he been paying attention he would've been able to dock the bagel that struck him between the eyes.

"You are _so _rude! You always offer a lady the bed if there is only one! Not only that, you don't dirty up the clean linens by just sprawling all over everything before showering! Also, you don't crank the air-conditioner all the way up when there are naked girls in the room! And _then_ you certainly don't-"

Naruto interrupted Hinata's rant for a second, "Hold up! First, the air-conditioner was on when I came in and secondly, you were naked?"

Hinata blushed, but only paused for a second before regaining her steam, "-pig! Whether I was naked or not, which I _wasn't_, you don't think about me, Naruto! You just do what you want, without care for what other people want or think!"

Naruto scratched his head, "So if you _weren't_ naked, then what was your point about not turning the air-conditioner on when naked girls are in the room? Did you have company?"

He ducked as a chopstick flew over his head, impaling the lamp on the nightstand; it shattered.

"God Naruto! Just go shower already!" Hinata bellowed, her face bright red.

Naruto growled and headed for the bathroom, "Fine, alright? Jeez, you are going crazy, I swear.."

Not another word was exchanged as he went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him a little more forcefully than intended. He shed his clothes in record time and stepped into the shower, not even waiting for the water to heat up before turning it on.

The cold water blasted him and he grit his teeth, but bore through in hopes that it'd calm his growing anger with Hinata. Theirs was rapidly becoming a love/hate relationship, and Naruto really had no clue as to why things were spiraling so quickly.

'_One minute she's nice, cute, even fun; the next moment she is a psycho, hate-filled, crazy lady.. I just don't get it,' _Naruto thought to himself as the water battered his mane.

Even before they'd left Konoha, Naruto had asked the Hokage about it; the old man had been vaguer about his 'girl questions' than any top-secret mission the blond had ever shown curiosity in.

'_Girls go through stages where, umm.. they have violent mood-swings,'_

'_But Oji-san, what causes it? She goes crazy sometimes with no warning!'_

'_Well Naruto, umm..a lot of things can set off these mood changes. Anger, pain, sadness, bad memories, stress, longing..'_

Naruto opened his eyes and looked at the shower wall, "That's it! That. Is. It!"

Not bothering to dry off, or even turn off the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and charged out of the bathroom, water flying everywhere. Hinata looked up from her breakfast and choked, her eyes going wide with surprise as Naruto stomped across the room towards her.

"Hinata, you are having mood-swings and I want to know why!" he bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at his bewildered teammate.

It took her a few minutes, but Hinata finally caught her breath, "N-Naruto, get back in the shower! Are you crazy!"

"Nope, but you are driving me in that direction. Fess up.." he charged, sitting on the edge of the bed, his brow furrowed and his blue eyes piercing.

"Mood-swings? I don't know what you're talking about.."

"Lies. Are you having bad dreams? Too stressed with the mission? Missing someone in particular from back home?"

Hinata blanched and looked at him incredulously, "Naruto where on earth are you getting all these questions?"

"Answer."

"No, I don't even know-"

"Answer."

"No. Stop saying that!"

"Answer!"

"Answer what?"

"My questions. Answer!"

Hinata shrieked frantically and tackled him, sending them both tumbling over backwards, rolling across the bed, till they crashed to the floor. They wrestled for a while, till he got the upper hand, pinning her to the floor beneath him.

"-there! Now tell me why you get so angry over the littlest of things. What's upsetting you so much? 'Cos it not only makes me angry, it confuses me."

Hinata's face was red, probably from exertion, and her lips were pursed tightly; her thin eyebrows were bunched together in a frightful scowl – she wasn't pleased.

"Hmm? I'm not letting you up till you spill the beans," Naruto said, straddling Hinata so she was pinned between his legs too.

"Get off!"

"No."

"Naruto! Please! You're naked!"

"So what? I'm not moving till we get this settled."

Hinata screamed at the top of her lungs at that point, surprising him for a few seconds. He let go of one of her arms and tried to cover her mouth, but she socked him in the face with her free arm.

"Get off me you moron!"

"No! Calm down!"

Naruto caught her arm as she tried to punch him again and pinned her back down; he wouldn't make that mistake again.

"I'm going to scream till you let me up.." Hinata hissed, her lavender eyes scrunched up angrily.

True to form, her ear-splitting scream split the air again, making Naruto wince – this time he had a counter-move though.

"You asked for it!"

Without warning he leaned down and kissed her – full on the mouth – a no-nonsense kind of kiss. Hinata went silent, and he held the kiss for a few seconds before pulling back a few inches.

He could feel her breath coming hot and rapid against his lips and he grinned at the look of surprise on her face, accompanied with a deep blush that lit up her cheeks.

"..you.." she whispered, almost too soft for him to hear, even from as close as they were.

"What's got you so messed up, Hinata? Hmm?" he asked softly, his nose grazing hers.

She seemed to calm for a minute, before her scowl returned in force and she head-butted him square in the face, sending him reeling backwards. He lost his grip on her arms too, and two punches smacked into his bare stomach in rapid succession.

"Ooof!"

"Y-you pervert! How dare you just k-kiss me!" Hinata howled, kicking him off her as she got to her feet.

Naruto had always been an impulsive boy; everything he did was never forethought, always impulse or instinct, whether it was in combat or otherwise. It had been that way before he'd joined the Academy, and had only shown itself more clearly as he matured.

At just 14 years old, Naruto had killed men, owned his own apartment, paid his own bills, and most importantly, held an important, dangerous role in the world. These circumstances had forged him into a man, and very self-satisfying, reckless one at that. A lot of _children_ went into the Academy, and a lot of _ninja_ came out, changed forever by the weight planted on their shoulders. No longer were they carefree youth, in the eyes of the world they were now adults – responsible for themselves and equals in society.

Naruto sometimes forgot that, and Hinata _sometimes_ had to remind him.

"Oww! Stop! Aiiiieeee!" the blond squealed, dodging and rolling as Hinata found her shuriken pouch and began flinging them at super-sonic speeds.

He knew it had been a bold move – kissing her – but her reaction was a little over the top.. even for Hinata. Still, if he could just make it to the bathroom..

"Despicable! Outrageous!" the furious Hyuga shouted from behind him.

Naruto made one last roll and slid into the bathroom just as a handful of shuriken smacked into the thick, wooden door. He blew out a sigh of relief and planted his back against the door, locking it for good measure. Outside he could hear Hinata rummaging around; she was probably looking for more weapons.

With nothing else to do, he finished his shower and got dressed, combing his spiky hair back and securing it with a white bandana.

"Hinata..? I'm coming out now. I've showered, and I'm ready to get back to the mission.." he said through the door, loud enough for her to him.

No answer.

"I don't want to fight anymore, okay? I'm just gonna.." he slowly opened the door a crack and peered out; the room was silent and the shuriken had been collected, small rips in the door signifying they'd ever been there.

Naruto carefully stepped out into the room, peering around cautiously like a deer in an open field, even his ears perked up a little bit, "Hinata..?"

"Yaaaaahhhh!"

He barely had time to look up as the girl dropped from the ceiling onto him, one of her thick boots clutched in her right hand.

A squeak escaped his lips before Hinata's full weight smashed him to the floor, where she immediately laid into him with the boot, clocking him upside the head a few times before a knock came at the door. A soft knock, but to Naruto's senses it had been plenty loud enough to be heard between the sound of Hinata's battle cries and the impact of boot to head.

"H-Hinata, stop! Someone's at the door!" he pleaded, covering his head with his arms.

The Hyuga girl paused for a moment, her breathing heavy, "What?"

He chanced a look up at his partner and jerked a thumb towards the door, "The door."

Hinata gave him a suspicious look, but got up, stepping on his chest in the process. She sauntered over to the door and opened it a bit to look out. She apologized to someone outside and laughed uncomfortably, while he stayed on the floor, curled up in the fetal position. He heard the door close and listened to the soft pads of Hinata's bare feet as she came back and sat on the edge of the bed, a small note in her hands.

She read it intently and looked down at him, "C'mon, we've got to go."

Naruto nodded and got up with a groan, holding his head tenderly, "You're mean."

Hinata giggled and dropped the boot, shooting him an apologetic face which he didn't quite buy into, "I'm sorry, but you had it coming. I hope you learned your lesson.."

He bobbed his head up and down a few times before pulling on his shoes, "Hinata doesn't like to be kissed. Got it."

She sighed and shook her head, sporting a genuine frown, "It's not that. Ugh, just forget it.."

Confused, Naruto stood up and tilted his head, "What?"

Hinata didn't say anything as she finished dressing, making sure to strap on her shuriken holster and tying her boots tightly, like she was preparing for trouble. Not that they weren't always on the lookout for a fight, but his partner seemed_ very_ focused suddenly, like she _knew_ something was coming.

"Anything I should know? What was that note about?" he asked curiously, heading to the door and opening it.

Hinata shrugged as she passed by him, taking a glance back at their room as she entered the hall, "I'll tell you as we walk."

And so they walked, through the hall, into the lobby, out the door, and then down the street; Hinata led the way, seeming like she was headed somewhere in particular.

"Okay, so what was on the note?" Naruto asked for the second time, hands shoved in his pockets as he plodded along behind his partner.

She turned and motioned for him to close the distance, which he did, "Someone left a note with the owner last night. It was for us, and instructs us to go to the fish market and meet a woman with a red umbrella. She has information on Kiba and Tsubaki."

Naruto perked up immediately, and he felt his heart rate pick up slightly. This was great news, allowing that the information was good and they weren't walking into a trap. He hadn't forgotten about the mysterious, _Mr. Z_, who had posted the two brothers on the bridge to look out for him and Hinata. He would have to be cautious, that was for sure.

Hinata seemed to pick up on his change of attitude and she nodded in understanding, "That's right. We are going in on red-alert this time. Do you have your weapons?"

He grunted and transformed his hand in a puff of red smoke; each finger was now a miniature version of his zanbatou form, the tiny blades screeching as he made a fist with them before dispelling the transformation.

"Ah, right.." Hinata said, almost embarrassedly.

Naruto smiled and put a little hop in his step as the smell of fresh fish plugged his nostrils, suddenly not an unwelcome smell, but the smell of hope..and fish guts.

* * *

Haku was often mistaken for a girl; not that he could blame the people who deemed him as such, but sometimes he wondered why his features were so delicate, his voice so light – maybe he was a mistake. That was an entertaining thought, the all-knowing Kami making a mistake when creating something so simple as him.

He was shaken from his reverie, when a dock-worker bumped into him by accident.

"Sorry, miss!" the burly man mumbled, bowing his sweaty, bald head.

Haku sighed and shrugged, "No harm done."

The dockworker bobbed a few more times and turned to leave, but Haku sensed something peculiar about the man.

"You there! Wait.." he ordered, twirling his red umbrella in a delicate hand. "I see you got my message."

The dockworker looked honestly perplexed, wringing his dirty hands together uncomfortably, "Miss?"

Haku's lips twitched into a slight grin.

_Oh, he's good. Almost didn't catch it at first._

In the space of a millisecond, Haku thrust his right arm forward, wrist turned upwards as the built-in needle gun inside his wide sleeve shot a string of senbon needles towards the dockworker. The attack was a kill-shot, unavoidable by any normal man.. But, expectedly, the man exploded in puffy white smoke cloud, leaving a bewildered blond boy in his place.

"Whoa lady!" the boy shrieked, diving under a fish-cart.

Haku laughed.. a genuine, heart-felt laugh that made his cheeks warm, "Oh-ho-ho! That was a good disguise! Hee hee hee!"

It felt good to laugh; it'd been too long since he'd found anything joyful, or comical enough to laugh about. This blond boy however, might prove to be quite entertaining – providing Zabuza didn't kill him.

"What's the big idea!" the blond shouted from underneath the cart.

Haku's eyebrow raised and he shuffled over to look under the vehicle. "I could ask you the same thing. Why approach me in disguise?"

"Well.. we weren't sure if you were dangerous or not! And I guess we were right! Look at my shirt!" the blond howled, holding up his right sleeve – a handful of holes had been punched right through the fabric.

_I missed.._

Haku observed the fabric for a moment, before offering the boy a hand up.. which the blond scoffed at, naturally. "Sorry, miss, but I'll help myself up.."

He watched carefully as the blond shimmied out from the cart and straightened up. They were about the same height – the blond being a little taller – and about the same build; if it weren't for Haku's more delicate features and dark, silky hair, they might've been twins.

"How'd you know it was me?" the blond asked, brushing himself off.

Haku shrugged and twirled the umbrella against the slight breeze. "You smell like soap, not fish."

The blond winced and stomped his foot. "So I guess you spotted my partner then too."

This caused Haku to pause and tense; he had forgotten about the girl!

It was almost his downfall too, as a wretched beggar woman lunged from behind with lightning speed, kunai clutched in one withered hand. Unlike the blond boy's disguise, this one actually smelled of fish-market filth. Haku swiftly pivoted and twirled the umbrella in front of him like a shield. The woman's knife arm went straight through the thin fabric, getting tangled in the umbrella's spines. Haku spun the umbrella again twisting the woman's arm violently so that she dropped the knife.

"Oww!" the hag protested as he pulled her forward and past him, kicking her in the rump as she fell. She went straight into a stack of crab traps – crashing into them head-first with a squeal.

"Hinata! Are you alright?" the blond shouted, clambering over the cages to get the woman, who disappeared in a puff of smoke similar to the blond's. In the hag's place was now a girl, covered in filth and grime.

Haku watched as the blond fumbled to pull the girl from the cages, invoking much whimpering and protest from the girl as she kept getting caught on hooks, or jagged pieces of metal hanging off the contraptions.

"Naruto, be careful- oww! Wait wait wait, my skirt!"

"Just hold still! I've almost got you!"

"Nonononono! Stop, my skirt is gonna rip!"

"Shhhhhh it's fine!"

Haku watched the pair's antics for a few minutes before speaking up. "Glad you both came. Now I need you to follow me.."

Finally free of the cages, the girl brushed herself off as best she could – trying to regain some dignity no doubt – then pointed an accusing finger at him.

"Why should _we_ follow _you_ anywhere, lady?" she hissed, looking him square in the eye. Behind her the blond nodded in agreement.

Haku smiled politely. "Firstly: I'm a guy, and secondly: I'm going to take you to your friends.."

* * *

**A full year since I last updated. Sad, huh?**

**Now I know this chapter is short, but I've got to ease myself back into the story, which will take a little time. I'm trying to remember exactly where I wanted to go with the story, so please be patient.**

**-Obi**


	8. To the fans!

Oh my lawd! It has been a while since I read any of my own work! I keep getting email notifications from people making this story a "Favorite", and I was compelled to see what the hub-bub is about.

To the readers who still watch and love this story: **Should I continue it?**

The winter months have provided me with a good month or so of free time, and since it's colder than balls outside.. I want to write again.

**But.**

I also have **other** projects in mind, and other stories I would be interested in reviving. So – as I don't have time for all of them – I'll let you guys **tell me what to do.**

Continue or start a new project?

Please answer in **Reviews**, not Private Messages. The PM's go straight into my SPAM box, but I still read reviews.

Yours,

Obi


	9. Reunion with Friends Old and New

**I didn't know this story was so well liked! After posting that notice I left for vacation for a week, when I came back my email inbox was jammed packed with Reply notices! I *heart* readers. Nothing but good vibes and constructive criticism! I had this chapter halfway completed and sitting in my Word, so it didn't take long to finish, however; I went back over the story and rewrote a good chunk of it. Cheesy dialogue, plot bunnies that needed to die, poor grammar, a lot of things were taken out or rewritten.**

**I've uploaded the rewritten chapters and this new chapter and hope you guys like it. If not? Tell me why and what you think I could touch-up on.**

**-Obi**

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* * *

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**Master and Weapon**

_Reunion With Friends Old and New_

Hinata was skeptical of the stranger, but couldn't put a finger on why she wasn't doing anything about it. She glanced ahead where the boy with the umbrella and Naruto were walking and chatting like boys do.

_Boy. That 'boy' is prettier than I am, probably why Naruto gets along so well with him._

She snorted and slapped a hand over her mouth, covering the giggles that threatened to burst through her clenched fingers. Naruto always had incredible hearing, and as if on cue, turned his head to look back at her. His brow was cocked in a curious expression – the umbrella boy had yet to turn.

"Hi." she cooed, winking at her partner.

He wrinkled his nose and squinted suspiciously at her before turning back and continuing his conversation. "So, _dude_ ..who, why, where, when?" Naruto queried.

The umbrella boy looked at her partner curiously, "What?"

"Who are you? Why are you helping us? Where are my friends, and when will we get there?" Naruto rattled off simply, making Hinata smile.

_He's so childish sometimes._

"My name is Haku, and I'm taking you to the house of a bridge-builder just a few blocks from here – your friends are there," the feminine boy explained with a polite smile. Naruto seemed to accept this and was silent.

Hinata now knew why she wasn't pressing Haku for information; Naruto was actually interested in their mission for once. Usually it was her job to interrogate, interview, and hunt down leads for information on their objective - now however - Naruto wasn't taking a backseat.

_Well this is nice for once. Maybe he actually listened to my rant this morning.._

About to slip into a pleasant daydream, Hinata barely caught the subtle tell Naruto was sending her way. The blonde was rubbing his left earlobe feverishly, trying to catch her attention. She immediately stiffened and activated her Byakugan out of habit.

She had to blink and slow down as a massive wavelength lit up before her like a new sun rising. Where she was used to being half-blinded by seeing a physical manifestation of Naruto's soul, his wasn't the only soul blooming before her special sight. Haku's soul power, while not as massive, red, or fiery as her partners, was incredibly bright – it was bright white, like ice and far more controlled than the blonde's.

Though she couldn't tell if Haku was a shokunin or buki, Hinata was thankful Naruto had been paying attention. She was now on guard against possible trickery from this potentially deadly foe.

_Way to go, goof. You're making me look like a rookie sidekick._

As far as she knew, very few people could see into another's soul. Her clan was special in that aspect. Of course there were other clans who had similar powers - Kiba's clan, the Inuzuka could _smell_ soul power - and she'd heard rumors of different ninja in history with similar powers of detection.

In Naruto's and most other people's cases, it took years of training to be able to detect another person's soul. She smiled proudly at her partner's back.

* * *

Naruto glanced over his shoulder to see Hinata smiling at him. He stopped rubbing his ear and nodded at her, a nod which she returned.

_Okay good, she got the message._

It had been by complete accident he'd picked up Haku's wavelength. He'd been trying to catch a whiff of something other than the fish guts wafting up from Hinata's clothes when he'd stumbled up on it. First the boy's perfume offered a sanctuary for his sharp senses and he'd been content at that, at least until his nose caught whiff of a cold scent beneath the warm perfume. It had taken a few minutes of concentration, but he'd eventually singled out the icy wavelength and it stung his nostrils. Even now his eyes were tearing up.

"Something wrong, Naruto-san?" Haku asked, looking over at him.

Naruto smiled and shook his head, wiping his nose on his jacket sleeve. "Ha! Nope, just got some bait or something up my nose. Yeck!"

He faked a sneeze and covered his nose with his hand, clamping it so he wouldn't have to endure the icy blasts that threatened to give him a headache.

"You okay?" came Hinata's concerned voice from behind, he felt her step closer behind him and put a hand on his back. He was about to protest that he was fine, but stopped when he felt her fingers etching hand seals against his back. _Tiger, Ox, Ram. Shadow clone. _He nodded and stepped away from her, trying to keep himself from smiling. Hinata was going to form a Shadow Clone and slip away when Haku was distracted. He couldn't help but start to get excited.

This is what he lived for – the rush. He loved when the ball started rolling, loved when the weapons were drawn and the plans were set in motion. He was a man of action.

"We are almost there, just around this corner and down the street," Haku stated matter-of-factly, bringing Naruto's attention back to the situation at hand.

He trained his peripheral vision on Haku and stepped a bit closer as they walked. "I don't know how to thank you, man. It'll be good to see my friends."

"It is my pleasure."

Small-talk was not his forte, but he would give it a shot in hope Hinata would get her chance to disappear down an alley or side street.

Before he had a chance to chat about the weather in Wave, Haku held up a hand and pointed up ahead at a blue house. The windows were shut so Naruto couldn't see anything inside. Entering the house was not very appealing. Not that he feared an ambush - on the contrary - he liked when his enemies came to him, rather than skulk in the shadows. The thing he feared was letting his only contact disappear before he had a chance to find out more about the situation.

"I'll leave you here to get reacquainted," Haku stated, turning on his heel to head back.

Instinctively, Naruto grabbed Haku and spun him around, positioning the shorter boy in front of him in a sort of makeshift human shield. Haku started to protest, but Naruto quickly transformed his hand and held a gauntlet of serrated blades against the boy's neck. The blonde didn't like to carry weapons, so the gauntlet was his favored transformation: incredibly quick to perform and incredibly dangerous.

"Move," he hissed, "-slowly."

He motioned with his head at the door and Hinata got the hint. Moving cautiously, his partner crept up to the door and put one hand on the lever. Her lavender eyes caught his and they both nodded briefly, unspoken communication passing seamlessly. Just as Hinata was about to kick in the door, the latch clicked from the inside and the door swung open as a woman stepped out onto the first step, her head still turned as she talked to someone inside.

"Oh I know that dad, I just.." the woman paused and turned to fix her gaze on Naruto and his hostage, "w-what are you doing with those knives!"

The woman took stock of the scene and noticed Hinata as well; she jumped backwards at noticing the knife in his partner's hand, "Assassins!"

Naruto began sputtering and moved his gauntlet from Haku's neck to hold a bladed finger up to his lips, trying in vain to shush the frightened woman. "Ma'am please! Shhh!"

He immediately realized his mistake when he felt an elbow drive into his chest, driving the air from his lungs. In less than a second he found himself flipped upside down and thrown to the ground. His vision swam and he gasped for air when Haku planted a swift chop to his throat.

"I take my leave now," the boy stated calmly before disappearing.

"Naruto! Are you alright?" he heard Hinata call as she ran over and bent over him. Her eyes showed concern, but the slight grin wrinkling her lips made him roll his eyes.

"I know.."

"Never forget your surroundings.."

"I _know_." He growled the last part and Hinata shrugged before helping him get back on his feet.

The woman seemed to have recovered from her initial shock and had retreated back inside the house, looking down at him and Hinata from behind the safety of a half-closed door.

_Civilians were so naïve. Like a door would stop him if he wanted inside the house, _he thought darkly.

Naruto gathered his wits and adopted a disarming smile, "Hello ma'am, sorry you had to see that.."

"Yes, he really isn't usually taken off-guard that easily," Hinata chirped.

He smiled sarcastically at the smug look on his partner's face; she was rubbing it in his face now and she knew it. "..as I was saying, _we_ are sorry that you had to witness that. My name is Naruto and this-"he motioned to Hinata, who was waving politely,"- is my _assistant,_ Hinata."

_Two can play this game, dear._

Hinata stopped waving and gave him a look, but he continued his introduction without a hitch. "We are here looking for our friends. They're our age – a boy with red tattoos.." he trailed off and ran a finger down each of his cheeks, just under his eye.

A spark lit up in the woman's eyes and she opened the door just a little bit wider, "Kiba."

Naruto felt as if an anvil dropped from his shoulders and he smiled, "Yes, yes that's the boy! There was another with him too, a girl, about Hinata's height.."

"Tsubaki."

"Yes!"

"They're inside. Why didn't you just say they were your friends? Come in!" the woman beamed, opening the door and motioning inside.

With a whoop, he charged up the steps and into the house. It was a basic operation, with quaint kitchen to his left, complete with bewildered child standing near the sink.

"M-mom!" the boy wailed, eyes wide.

Naruto paid the boy no mind as he passed through the kitchen into what he guessed was the living room. His face split into a large goofy grin when he spotted Kiba sacked out on the couch, face covered with a magazine as his snoring ripped through the relative quiet.

"N-naruto!" squeaked a familiar voice. He turned to see Tsubaki coming into the room from the back of the house; her hair was wrapped in a towel-turban that perched precariously on top of her head.

"You guys!"

Hinata had followed Naruto and blushed at Tsubaki's lack of clothes. The girl was wearing a collection of towels that barely covered her extremities. Apparently she'd heard the commotion outside and had been rushed to get out of the shower.

"Hinata!"

"Mom!"

"Tsubaki!"

Kiba woke up and gaped up at him from the couch, "Naruto!"

"Kiba!"

"Mooomm!"

"Hinata!"

The room quickly became a lot louder as everyone began talking all at once. Naruto was the only one quiet as he tried to choke down the lump that had built in his throat.

Kiba looked at him incredulously. "Dude! Konoha sent help!" the wolf boy nearly shouted, clapping him on the back; the force of the blow knocked the lump loose.

"Help! Where and what have you guys been up to!" Naruto blurted, throwing an arm around Kiba's shoulders and squeezing him in a friendly hug.

Hinata was the only person with enough sense to shush all the loud talking and motioned for everyone to get close and sit together on the floor; for all she knew, the house might be bugged.

Once everyone had sat down and the mother of the house had taken away her bewildered child, Naruto got right down to business. He wanted answers, and not just about the mission either.

"Okay, so here's the skinny: the old man sent us to bring you back, he thought maybe you were in trouble?" he said, leaving the last part open to explanation.

Tsubaki was quick to bite. "We are!"

"Shhhh!" Kiba hissed, clapping a hand over his partner's mouth, "-we _were_ in trouble. With you guys here, we can whoop this Zabuza's ass! Yahoo!"

"Zabuza?" asked Hinata as she fidgeted with Tsubaki's towel in a motherly fashion.

Naruto nearly laughed out loud. "We killed two of his thugs on the bridge, Hinata.." he said, jerking his head in the direction he thought the bridge watched as the puzzle pieced itself together in her mind; Hinata was always quick to catch on. "Ohh.." she murmured, offering him a small grin.

"He's a mean fucker," Kiba offered, "-we barely escaped with our lives. We've been licking our wounds here, waiting for a chance to break for it, but.."

Naruto looked at his friend and was shocked to see the normally cocky boy lower his head in defeat. It was not a pleasant feeling that crept up his spine.

"..he's been watching us," Tsubaki finished, her big brown eyes looking between himself and Kiba.

"So he knows we're here too then.." Naruto stated with a heavy sigh. _Shit. We walked right into his trap._

He looked over at Hinata and shrugged guiltily, "My bad."

Surprisingly, she resisted the urge to pummel him and nodded sadly, "I didn't see it coming either, otherwise I would've warned you."

Nothing more could be said as the woman of the home came back into the room, followed by her boy and an older man. "Get some clothes on, ye silly girl!" the older man snapped, pointing a finger at Tsubaki. Naruto just then noticed how scantily clothed his friend was, and he felt a little heat rise in his cheeks – there was a _lot_ of Tsubaki he hadn't seen before, that was for sure.

"Y-yes sir," the weapon girl stuttered, picking herself up and disappearing into the back rooms.

"And you! Sunshine boy! Take those muddy shoes off my daughter's carpet!"

Naruto blanched and Hinata began giggling.

"..you too, _Bright_ eyes."

Team 5 made a hasty retreat to the entrance and Naruto grimaced as he peeled off his sneakers, tossing them against Hinata's boots. She sighed and arranged their shoes in pairs with the other footwear stacked tidily against the door. "Crotchety old fart isn't he?" he muttered.

Hinata snorted and poked him in the ribs as they returned to the rest of the group. "Be nice."

He decided that was sound advice – for now. The people in this house might be siding with Zabuza for all he knew; after stumbling into one trap, he certainly didn't want to waltz into another.

When they entered the living room again, Tsubaki was dressed and the group sat comfortably in the assorted furniture like not a thing was off about the scene. The older man, whom Naruto guessed was the bridge-builder Haku had mentioned earlier, was the first to break the silence. "My name is Tazuna, your host is my daughter, whom you don't need to know the name of, and the boy is my grandson – someone else you don't need to know.." the old man started, motioning for him and Hinata to sit on the couch next to him.

Naruto sat down between himself and Tazuna, letting his partner have the outside seat closest to the door; it was a force of habit positioning himself between danger and his teammate. "Are you working with Zabuza?" he asked bluntly, looking the older man straight in the eyes to watch for signs of foul play.

Kiba snorted and both Tsubaki and Hinata took in a sharp breath.

"No," replied Tazuna, holding his gaze without flinching.

_He's telling the truth. _Naruto couldn't see any sign of a lie, couldn't smell cold sweat, or hear a change in heartbeat. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and let himself sink backwards into the couch.

"Tazuna took us in off the street and patched us up," Kiba offered with a shrug, looking to Tsubaki to confirm his story.

"Hmm." The weapon girl wasn't paying attention, and Naruto realized she'd been staring at him.

"Oi Tsubaki!" Kiba barked, tossing a magazine across the room at his partner.

"Hmm, what? Oh! Oh yeah, they've been really great.."

Both he and Kiba cocked an eyebrow, their confused expressions mimicking each other. Reading girls' actions was not his strong suit – Kiba's either apparently.

Hinata, on the other hand, seemed to pick up on the awkward moment and intervened before it got weird. "So what do we know so far?" she asked, looking around the room, stopping for a second to give Naruto a look he couldn't readily identify.

"Zabuza is a major player in Wave country," offered Tazuna. "He's been using the local crime lords like puppets to gain a considerable amount of wealth and power."

Kiba nodded, "Our original mission was to come put an end to a crime tycoon, Gato. Turns out he was just one of Zabuza's pets. This thing is big, bigger than Konoha thought."

_So Hinata and I were right. A lot of money and a lot of power behind this guy make him a formidable foe._

"He's also a shokunin," Tsubaki offered, smiling sadly at her feet.

Both he and Hinata looked at each other at the same time; Zabuza being a shokunin wasn't something they'd guessed. This _Mr. Z _was turning out to be a bigger problem than Naruto had originally predicted or foreseen – which would explain why even Kiba, the biggest blind optimist he knew, was looking worried at the way the talk was going.

"A shokunin?" Tazuna queried, his grey eyebrows scrunching up. Naruto nearly laughed at the man's facial expression.

Hinata cleared her throat, "A weapon meister – or weapon specialist you could say. Kiba and I are shokunin as well." Kiba shrugged nonchalantly, but Naruto could feel the pride rolling off his friend in waves.

"..I'd heard he was handy with a blade," Tazuna mused, scratching the scruff that grew on his chin.

"That explains things. Haku must be his buki," Naruto offered.

Everyone in the room looked at him curiously, with exception of Hinata, who was staring into nothing, concentration written on her features. He wondered if she knew something he didn't, but didn't press her; it wasn't a good idea to interrupt the Hyuga heiress when she was deep in thought. "Haku was the boy who brought us to you," Naruto explained after a few seconds.

"Well that isn't his buki then-" Kiba stated confidently, "-Zabuza's buki is a hottie with a body. Wears a white kimono and carries an umbrella."

Hinata began giggling and Naruto tried his best to keep his own face impassive while Kiba illustrated Haku's feminine features with his hands. It was an honest mistake, he himself had first mistaken the boy for a girl, and most people would probably do the same.

"Haku is a boy, hahaha!" Hinata squealed, using one hand to point at Kiba and the other to cover her mouth.

"What? You're crazy."

Naruto reached over and patted his friend's shoulder, "_He _told us himself." He smirked when Kiba went white and Tsubaki began giggling along with Hinata – the two girls were soon rolling over onto their sides, moisture collecting in their eyes.

"Heh heh, if it makes you feel any better, I thought the same thing when I first met him," Naruto offered, smiling through sharp teeth.

Kiba grunted and crossed his arms, "Well _he_ is still better looking than these hyenas.."

"Hahaha! H-hey!" the girls cried in unison, struggling to sit up.

Naruto grinned at his friends and leaned back against the wall, a calm settling over him that he hadn't known in a while. He didn't realize until now how much he'd missed Team 4 over the past months. The danger of their situation seemed so far away, so insignificant to the joy they shared together – just being in the same room was enough to lighten everyone's soul.

In his life, he'd never known this kind of connection with other people, not until now. It had taken 14 years of loneliness, but he'd had faith his time would come; a time would come for him to share laughs around a table and make a difference in people's lives. He would've liked to think these friends had just fallen into his lap – a gift from Kami – but in truth, he knew he'd had to change himself to _gain_ such friendship. Maturity had sunken in quickly at the academy; Iruka had only taken a few pranks before the punishments rained down swiftly and surely.

The day it'd all started to change was just as vivid in his mind as if it'd happened yesterday.

"_You saw the burns on her hands, didn't you Naruto?" Iruka asked, his face was solemn, but there was no disappointment or anger there._

"_I did."_

"_You know why that happened too, don't you." This wasn't a question._

_Naruto nodded his head and looked around the room, avoiding his teacher's gaze. He'd apologized already.. why did Iruka have to bring this up again!_

"_So then you already know what has to change, don't you." Again, not a question but a statement._

"_Yes, sensei. I have to start thinking of others besides myself."_

"_It's just a part of maturing, Naruto. Don't think of it as a punishment, but as a step to becoming a better shinobi and person," Iruka offered, his words slow and punctuated with emotion. "When you become a dependable and thoughtful person, more people will accept you. I know I will."_

Naruto smiled at the memory; Iruka had become another father figure in his life after that day, and though annoying at times, he had come to like the dolphin-faced instructor. Of course, he was still nowhere as dependable and thoughtful as he knew he ought to be – the fight with Hinata was evidence of that – but he liked to think he was improving.

"Naruto? Are you coming?" Hinata asked as her face filled his vision.

_Must've drifted off._

He smiled disarmingly and nodded, "Yeah sorry, where are we going, punk rock?"

"It's time to eat, moron. Did you doze off?"

Naruto shook his head and got to his feet, "No, just daydreaming a bit." In truth, he _must've_ dozed off, because he didn't remember anything about dinner being announced

Hinata cocked an eyebrow as she walked with him to the kitchen, "About what?" she asked.

"Nothing," he answered, subconsciously looking down at Hinata's hands. They swung lazily at her sides, the faint pink lines of scar tissue showing on her palms. He didn't understand why she hadn't had the medic-nins smooth over the torched lines when she was still in the hospital; it was an easy procedure he'd heard, of course he'd never had scars.. so he was going on word of mouth.

"Come sit, sit!" Tazuna barked when they entered the room, pulling out a couple seats at the table and motioning for him and Hinata to sit.

Naruto took his seat and nodded his thanks to the older man, "Thanks."

"No problem, kiddo. Have a nice nap?"

"Ah, so I did doze off earlier?"

Kiba chuckled and looked up from the rice he'd been shoveling into his mouth like a dog digging for a bone, "Yup, snored too, like an old fat guy."

"Eh Kiba, you are the one that snores like an older obese man.." Tsubaki offered innocently, serving Kiba another bowl of rice, as he'd already inhaled the first.

Naruto chuckled and waggled his eyebrows at Kiba, who looked incredulously at his teammate, "Tsubaki, those are manly, strong guy snores. Nothing like Naruto's.."

"Naruto doesn't snore," Hinata stated, "-he talks in his sleep."

Naruto blinked and looked to his side where Hinata sat; he didn't know he talked in his sleep. If he did, and she'd heard some of his more.. explicit dreams, he was fully prepared to sleep with a bag over his head for the rest of his life.

"I-I do?" he stuttered.

"Mhmm, it's cute."

Tazuna chuckled knowingly, "Cute, huh?"

Hinata realized what the old man was hinting at and blushed, "Erm, child-like cute! Like when a baby gurgles or says a few words in his sleep!"

"Uh huh.."

Naruto ignored Tazuna and pressed his partner for more information, "..so I don't say anything weird?"

"Nope, just random stuff. Why?" Hinata said before mouthing a silent prayer for her food.

Kiba tossed a chopstick at him, which he dodged, "Because he dreams about bad- oomph!" Tsubaki clapped a hand over the wolf boy's mouth and gave Naruto an embarrassed eye-smile.

He nodded his thanks and tried to steer the conversation in a different direction, "So, did we decide what to do?"

Everyone paused and looked up from their meals; Hinata decided to speak for the group, who obviously knew something he didn't. "We're going to make a run for it in the morning," she whispered, leaning over to speak into his ear, "-there's a smaller chance Zabuza's men will be watching when they're tired."

He frowned; running away was not his way of doing things and he was surprised Kiba had agreed to this plan at all.

"We made a plan?" Kiba asked, looking up from his second bowl of rice.

_That explains it._

"They want to run away!" Naruto spat, looking between the girls like they'd gone crazy. They should know by now that he wouldn't tuck tail like a coward.

"Pffffshhh!" Kiba spewed rice like a geyser, turning to Tsubaki, "-you serious? Team 4 and Team 5 against one guy? It's too easy! I was all ready to do it by myself if you guys hadn't shown up!"

Naruto turned to Hinata just as Kiba began scolding Tsubaki; she was giggling at the mess the wolf boy was causing with his half-eaten supper.

"Hinata.. you had to know I wouldn't like this plan.." Naruto said firmly.

Hinata looked a bit ashamed as she looked back at him with her lavender eyes, "Naruto, I looked Zabuza up in the bingo book. He's an S-classed criminal; we need to go for help."

Naruto wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms. He didn't run; the word 'retreat' wasn't part of his vocabulary and he figured Hinata had figured that out by now. He would never become a great ninja by running from his problems, or letting others fight his fights. "Punk rock," he said, using the nickname softly,"- we can't let fear set in, okay? This guy is just an obstacle, a stepping stone for us."

"Naruto.."

"No, listen. We beat this guy and think of the reception at home! The other teams will worship us, the village will praise us as heroes.." he stopped when Hinata held up a hand and began shaking her head.

"For glory? You want to fight this guy for glory?"

He grimaced, not realizing how he'd been coming across. Glory was really just a perk to beating Zabuza really – the acceptance was more the prize in his mind. He wondered what it would be like to surf a crowd of praising villagers, all smiling and laughing because of something he'd done.

"Naruto, pay attention!" Hinata barked.

"I was."

"No you weren't," Hinata pouted, fixing him again with that worried look he hated, "-you were drifting off again. Now _you _listen, Tsubaki and I already talked about this; we need to get back to Konoha and tell them what we know."

Naruto shook his head. "You think they'll just let us leave? Guards or not, he'll know we've left and come after us."

"Even if we do get away, he'll kill Tazuna and his family for helping us," he continued, this time gaining the attention of everyone in the room, "-we have to stand and fight. Zabuza goes down, or we do."

Hinata and Tsubaki seemed taken aback, while Kiba was all grins, "Yahoo! That's my boy! Team 4 plus Team 5 equals Team Badass? Yes, I think sooo!"

"Damn straight," Naruto said, grinning across the table at the other boy.

He knew his decision was the right one, and it felt good; his soul was at peace with his choice. The fear was gone and something akin to excitement filled his belly like no food – Ramen or otherwise – could. No one questioned him either; Hinata looked worried, as did most everyone aside from Kiba, but no one raised a complaint.

_Must be how Oji-san feels whenever he puts a plan together. No one questions him._

Naruto couldn't help but let a small grin split his lips; Zabuza would be another stepping stone to his dream, of that he was sure. You didn't become Hokage by running D-rank missions or fetching cats out of trees. The Sandaime's legacy was peppered with thousands of fantastical stories of his deeds and adventures. The old man had fought incredible foes – Kyuubi included. He'd carved his name into a mountain, trained the Legendary Sannin, and mastered thousands of jutsu. He'd earned the title _and_ the glory.

_This is the beginning of my legacy, old man._

_

* * *

_

The next morning Naruto was up early and waiting as his friends began to rise. Hinata commented on his strange eagerness, but – for the most part—was silent as the group made preparations to leave. The only person that did have energy to speak with the blonde was Tazuna. "Wish I could tag along, kiddo."

"Me too," answered Naruto. "Having a feisty old man along for the ride sounds like an adventure waiting to happen."

"I'm not that old."

"Pretty old.."

Tazuna grinned and clapped Naruto on the back. Building bridges had given him a strong arm and the blonde nearly stumbled.

"Okay, maybe not _that_ old," Naruto admitted. "Thanks for everything."

"It was my pleasure," Tazuna replied.

Naruto nodded at the older man and turned to his teammates who were shouldering their packs. He could read the weariness and anxiety on their faces, but refused to let himself appear affected by the challenges ahead. _You guys will see. Victory is going to be ours._

Hinata walked up and handed him his jacket, the one she'd borrowed the night before. "I cleaned it for you."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks." He wanted to say more to reassure his partner, but it would have to wait. They were in something of a rush.

He cleared his throat to get the group's attention. "Alright guys, we leave here and don't stop till the outer bridge," he paused to shoulder his own pack. "Zabuza will think we're running and that will make him come out to stop us personally – that's when we'll fight."

Kiba cocked an eyebrow. "Why the bridge though?"

"It's an ideal place to fight," answered Hinata. "He's known as the 'demon of the mist' because he likes to use stealth and ambush tactics when he fights. The bridge is open, yet secluded, and most importantly.. boxed in. He won't be able to hide, hurt civilians, or avoid us."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "We read up on him last night in the bingo book." He'd stayed up later than he'd planned reading about his opponent. Luckily, their opponent was famous enough to warrant a how-to guide on fighting him.

"That would explain the whispering and bumping around in the middle of the night," observed Kiba. A leering grin split his face and he shot Tsubaki a knowing look. "Right, Tsubaki?"

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about Kiba," Tsubaki replied. "What Naruto and Hinata do in their private time is no concern of ours."

Naruto and Hinata both blanched at the same time. "We were reading!" they cried.

"No one said you weren't," Kiba teased. "But if you're feeling guilty about something.."

"Okay okay, funny! Har har!" Naruto wheezed sarcastically. "We have to get moving though, or my plan is going to flop." The sun was already beginning to rise and he was getting anxious.

Further banter was held as the group made their goodbyes – to Tazuna since his family was asleep – and headed for the door. Naruto took the lead. He'd made the plan and promised himself that he'd see it through to the last. _Captain's got to sink with his ship_, he though grimly.

As he stepped outside the smell of salt and fog teased his nostrils, damp earth too. _It must've rained during the night._

Rain wouldn't have been out of place. Wave country was constantly getting poured on; typhoons were as regular in the seaside country as trees were in Konoha. Naruto had meant to ask Tazuna about the weather, but a time for small talk had never presented itself. It was a pity.

"Is it clear?" asked Hinata. She was watching him curiously from the doorway, her lavender eyes tinged with sleep.

Naruto nodded and stepped out into the street. He couldn't detect anything suspicious. There weren't any signs of Zabuza's men. He figured it was still early enough for most of the city to be asleep. "Let's go," he ordered.

He waited for his friends to exit the house and shut the door behind them. "Split up, but stay within earshot," Naruto instructed.

"See you at the bridge," Kiba whispered. "Last one there has to.." he paused and looked at the sky, deep in thought. Tsubaki snatched Kiba's arm and pulled the wolf boy away with an embarrassed chuckle.

Naruto smiled as he watched them disappear into the fog. He'd missed Team Four – a lot. He'd felt months of pent-up aggression and boredom melt away just being with them overnight.

Hinata – as if sensing his relief – snaked an arm around his and smiled up at him. "You're happier with them around," she stated. "I'm sorry I didn't see that earlier. All those times you wanted to skip missions to go hang out, I thought you were just trying to be lazy. Had I known-"

Naruto held a finger to his lips and shook his head. "It's all good."

* * *

An hour later found them at the bridge. The faint outline of the forest loomed in the distance, masked by the fog. Naruto felt his heartbeat quicken and he subconsciously looked over his shoulder. There was a stillness about the morning that creeped him out, and he realized he could no longer detect Team Four.

Hinata squeezed his arm. "Where are they?" she asked softly. Her voice was more curious than worried.

"Not far," Naruto lied. He didn't want Hinata to worry, it wouldn't help anything and he was sure his friends weren't too far away.

He continued walking. The soft scrape of Hinata's boots against the concrete was the only sound to break the eerie silence. That wasn't entirely true though, as there was also the lap of the waves below and a faint 'pitter-patter' of sandaled feet..

"Hinata down!" Naruto barked, pushing them both down into a crouch. He spun in place to face the approaching footsteps, while Hinata slid around behind him and dropped her pack.

"Zabuza?" she asked, whispering against his ear.

Naruto shrugged and transformed both hands into clawed gauntlets. The footsteps kept coming and he could hear them get louder as they closed in on him and Hinata. He guessed the person was a hundred yards away.

75…

50…

20…

5…

Silence.

Naruto strained his ears and his eyes went wide. His heart beat wildly in his chest and he stumbled forward awkwardly. His body was coiled like a spring, but the attack hadn't come.

_Screetch._

The horrible sound of a sandal scraping against cement came from behind him. He had just enough time to turn around before a black blur appeared through the fog. It was a black-clothed leg, and he had only time to blink before a sandaled foot smashed into the side of Hinata's head. He watched in slow motion as her neck bent at an impossible angle and the whole of her body was forcefully picked up and thrown sideways. The power behind the kick must've been massive.

"Hinata!" he screamed, finally finding his voice.

He lunged forward and slashed at the fog, but his claws met nothing. There was a cry to his right as he heard Hinata's body hit the concrete. He listened as she rolled for a few horrifying seconds.. then all was quiet.

_No, no, no, nononono!_

Ducking low, Naruto sprinted in the direction his partner had landed. He blundered about blindly, cursing the fog and at the same time wondering why it had become so thick.

"Hinata!" he hissed as he began to search for her scent since his other senses were failing him.

It took a few seconds till he found her, crumpled body lying prone against the guardrail of the bridge. She'd been lucky the bridge workers had put the metal railing up for safety reasons, or she might've been tossed into the sea.

He nearly laughed in anxious relief when he saw her chest rise and fall. Hinata was alive.

"Nngh.." she groaned softly into the cement.

Naruto released his claws and knelt down beside his partner and turned her over gently. "Hinata? Can you hear me?" he asked anxiously as he looked over both his shoulders. "Oh kami-sama.."

He grimaced when he caught sight of the harm done to Hinata. Aside from a collection of scrapes and cuts, the whole left side of her face was a violent shade of purple. Her jaw was broken and she cradled it with one hand while blood dribbled at the sides of her mouth. There were tears in her eyes as she looked up at Naruto, fear too – she was scared.

"Don't worry Hinata.." he soothed. "You're going to be okay. I won't let him hurt you anymore. I'll kill him. I swear I'll kill him."

Naruto ripped off his jacket and propped it under Hinata's head, wishing he could do more. He didn't have a choice though; he couldn't get Hinata to safety without killing Zabuza.

He made as if to stand up, but Hinata had grasped his shirt. He looked down into her eyes and she shook her head painfully. _No, Naruto. _Her eyes screamed at him.

"Don't move. I'll be right back." Naruto whispered, pulling himself free from his partner's grasp. His heart nearly ripped in two in that moment, but he didn't look back as he disappeared back into the fog.

His mind reeled at how fast his plan was going to shit. His partner was down, the fog hadn't lifted, Team Four was missing. Things were going bad quickly. Zabuza was here, Naruto was sure of that. No one but a highly skilled shinobi could've disabled and bewildered Team Five so quickly, and Zabuza was skilled.

An S-Rank jonin, Zabuza Momochi was on par with some of the most deadly ninja alive. His stealth killing techniques were second-to-none; he'd killed hundreds if not thousands of enemies, a hundred or more before he was even accepted into the Hidden Mist as a genin. It was rumored that Zabuza was the lone reason that the entire shinobi system had been changed; villages couldn't afford to have their recruits fight to the death anymore.

Naruto frowned; his thoughts were betraying him. Useless information wouldn't help him kill his attacker. Stats and legends wouldn't help him survive this fight. The bingo book was a useful tool, but not a good place to pick out enemies.

Another kick materialized from his right, as if a leg had just appeared from thin air. Naruto ducked quickly and brought his right arm up to block. The kick smacked into his arm and he felt his bones rattle.

"Lucky," a voice whispered from the fog.

Naruto growled and stood tall, baring his chest and tilting his chin in a challenge, "You're the lucky one! If I could see you, this fight would already be over. I didn't know ninja from the Hidden Mist were such cowards!"

In response another kick flew out of the fog, which Naruto was rushed to block. Just as he was about to fire off another insult, a fist collided with the back of his head with the force of a sledgehammer. His vision swam as he stumbled forward drunkenly, until a cross-kick caught him in the jaw, laying him out flat.

"You call yourself a ninja?" the voice mocked. "When you've hovered between life and death so many times that it doesn't faze you, you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly that your profile has been entered into MY bingo book, then you may have earned the title ninja. You're nothing but a child though, not a ninja."

Naruto groaned as he sat up, rubbing at his jaw with one hand. He stopped when he heard Hinata cry out and the sound of a blade being drawn from its sheath.

"This little one is expendable I guess.." there was a pause and the voice sighed, "-he didn't say anything about keeping her alive. Just you; though I must say the price on your head is considerable, little wannabe ninja." The voice chuckled darkly and Hinata moaned in pain.

"Don't touch her!" Naruto hissed, already running to where he smelled Hinata.

"Too late."

There was a pause, and then Hinata screamed – a horrible sound coming from her shattered jaw. Naruto could smell blood, and his heart sank when he heard a splash from below.

"Shark-bait.. how poetic," the voice cooed. "Reminds me of old Kisame.."

Naruto wasn't listening as he reached the railing and looked frantically down into the water below. He couldn't see or hear anything but the waves. He jumped up on the railing and prepared to dive in the water, but a hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Nope, that's not happening," the voice commanded. Then with a sharp tug Naruto was thrown backwards onto the bridge, the air driven from his lungs as he landed.

Naruto couldn't breathe, but he managed to hiss. He couldn't move, but managed to stand. He couldn't think, but managed to focus on one thing: his desire to kill. In his helpless state, something had snapped inside – he could _feel_ it. Hinata was bleeding and drowning, Kiba and Tsubaki were probably dead, he was being toyed with by an infinitely more powerful opponent; he was drowning in fear and defeat. However, something was pushing him to get back up.. something powerful.

"**We meet again, boy," **said a voice from within. Naruto had talked to himself before, but this voice was different, almost a whisper.

His claws reappeared in a flash of red smoke, long serrated fingers clenching and unclenching as he growled and sniffed the air for his prey. Yes, Zabuza was his prey now. He would rend and tear the bastard's flesh then toss the corpse into the sea for the sharks. He'd use his claws to erase any legend or memory of this Demon of the Mist, and he'd laugh the entire time.

"**Gooooood," **said his inner-voice, a sound like sweet honey in his ear. **"Rip him. Maim him. Devour him."**

Naruto grinned maliciously and felt his muscles twitch and shiver. He'd never felt like this before. The desire to kill was so strong and so inviting that he felt.. happy? Excited? Impatient?

He didn't care to analyze his feelings; he only wanted to kill the man who'd harmed his precious person. This was the feeling of wanting revenge, wasn't it? He could understand it now. He could understand why wars were fought and lives were ended – it was simple. Revenge was a release from worry, pain, and suffering. Until your enemy was dead, how could you enjoy peace?

Until Zabuza was dead, he couldn't help Hinata.

Until Zabuza was dead, he couldn't go home.

Until Zabuza was dead, he wasn't safe.

He didn't even question when his vision went red and the world became clear. He figured the fog had finally lifted as the entirety of the bridge filled up his view.

"**There."**

Naruto's heart nearly leapt from his chest when he saw Zabuza standing a ways off, looking directly at him! The swordsman was leaning against the guardrail, not 10 feet away, watching him.

Tall and lean, Zabuza was clad in a blue/grey camouflage that was standard-issue ninja gear; he wore a mask over his face and a hita-ite held back his short, spiky hair. The symbol on his hita-ite was scratched out, signifying his status as a rogue-nin.

"You bastard!" Naruto barked, baring his fangs.

Zabuza cocked an eyebrow and looked at him curiously. "You can see me through this fog?"

Naruto charged across the distance between himself and the swordsman in seconds, bringing both sets of claws sideways in a wild slash. Zabuza flickered and disappeared at the last second – Naruto's claws shredded the metal railing like paper.

He whirled in place and dashed forward again, smelling Zabuza's scent before the man even reappeared.

"Now now, you little shit!" the swordsman hissed as he narrowly dodged another of Naruto's attacks. "Settle down, before I'm forced to thrash you."

"Fuck you." Naruto growled. He spun in place on one leg while bringing his other leg around in a vicious roundhouse kick aimed at Zabuza's head.

The swordsman blocked the blow, but stumbled backwards a bit. Naruto dropped immediately into a crouch and tried to sweep-kick Zabuza's legs out from under him. This attack was also avoided as the older man flipped backwards, catching Naruto on the chin with a kick as he did so.

"Gyah!" Naruto spat as he fell backwards onto his backside.

Zabuza was on him in the blink of an eye. The blonde was picked up roughly by the neck and then backhanded – the blow sent him reeling. His head smacked against the concrete and stars exploded before his eyes. He tried to stand, but another kick caught him in the side and flipped him over; he felt a rib crack and he coughed blood.

"He told me to not underestimate you.." Zabuza snorted. "But I'm afraid I _overestimated_ your abilities, Naruto."

You are worth such a high price? Really? You, a cocky buki with little talent or strength. I'm almost insulted. Maybe I'll charge him more for wasting my talents." Zabuza mused to himself as he circled Naruto like a shark.

_What's he talking about? There's a price on my head? Was this all a trap? _He wondered to himself. Whatever the situation was, he knew he had to get up – he MUST kill Zabuza.

"Look at you. In that blond head you're a hero. Forming little plans with those other idiot teenagers to kill me? Me!"

Zabuza planted a foot on Naruto's back, forcing him down. "Your friends are getting worked over by my colleague, hero. Don't expect help."

He winced when Zabuza stomped down, sending tendrils of pain shooting up his spine. The rogue-nin snorted and strolled lazily a few feet away to look over the bridge into the sea. "No bubbles, poor girl.."

Before Naruto could get to his feet, his body acted on its own accord. He felt himself get up on all-fours and drop into a crouch – like a cat preparing to pounce. A terrible roar ripped forth from his throat, a sound no human could've made.

He blinked once before his body shot forward like an arrow. He caught Zabuza around the middle in a tackle and slammed the larger man to the ground with ease. To his horror, his face shot forward and he clamped his fangs down on the swordsman's neck. He tasted blood on his tongue as his teeth broke skin and began to collapse Zabuza's throat. It was what he'd _wanted _to do to Meizu on the bridge, but now he wasn't able to resist.

_No, no! What's wrong with me! _

"**You're clumsy. Just relax and I'll kill him for you," **the inner-voice purred reassuringly. **"Just a little more pressure and all your problems will go away."**

_Stop! I don't want to do this! I c-can't bite through Zabuza's neck! I'm a human being! _Naruto willed his thoughts to say.

"**Silence. This so-called *demon* is about to feel the wrath of a real one."**

Zabuza began to gurgle and thrash violently against Naruto's vice-like grip, but to no avail. The larger man was pinned to the ground and rendered immobile, harmless, hopeless. Naruto felt ancient strength in his muscles; he felt no pain, no fatigue – it was as if he'd never been touched by his opponents attacks. The power was exhilarating, the focus was magnificent; his body felt like a well-oiled killing machine, but he felt at odds with himself. One part wanted to rip, maim, and take vengeance, but another part wanted to end this fight quickly, cleanly, and then go help Hinata. His mind and will felt at war with itself and his body froze in response.

"**Fool! This is what you wanted, yes?" **the voice accused. **"You weren't complaining a second ago when I dragged you off the floor and cleared your mind of fear and doubt. What's changed, little one? Hmm? Have you lost your blood-thirst so easily?"**

_Yes..No! He needs to die, yes, but at the end of my blade, not in between my jaws!_

"**What is the difference?"**

_I'm not an animal!_

"**Neither am I. I use the tools I'm given to achieve my goal—erm, your goal."**

_W-who are you!_

"**I am you, but also something else entirely," **the voice replied simply. **"Don't play dumb. You know my true name, don't you? That old fart with the weird hat told you months ago, or was it years? Time escapes me."**

Naruto felt a terrible truth rise from within, something he didn't want to face or admit he knew about. It was something he'd always wondered about in the dark recesses of his mind, but was scared to come to terms with. He knew who was speaking to, or through, him.

_Kyuubi._


	10. Kyuubi

Naruto smiled - no, _Kyuubi _smiled, an expression that looked out of place on the boy's face. He licked his teeth and tasted the air with his tongue; it was exhilarating to be connected with the outside world after being severed from it for so long. The demon ran a soft, flat tongue over his soft, flat teeth and sighed. This experience was welcome yes, but this form was lacking. Still, he could smell again, though his nose was weak, he could taste the air again and it was splendid.

The fox had been waiting for such a time to come; Naruto's seal had been weakened. The boy was panicked, angry, sad, confused - the rush of negative emotions weakened Naruto's soul and with just a nudge, Kyuubi took control. It wasn't a very strong hold, and the boy need merely calm himself to wrest control of his body back, but the fox would relish these few minutes as much as he could.

"**I like this Naruto, I won't lie.." **he cooed, looking down at his temporary shell. "**Vessels have been known to explode should they lose control of a being such as myself. Ironic that my vessel is different..**"

"Give me back my body!" Naruto shouted from some cage deep within. The boy's voice was like hearing an echo came from far down the valley.

"**I've been saving your life and feeding your power since you were a mewling, soft-brained baby and this is how you thank me? With further demands?**"

Kyuubi felt a 'tug' as Naruto tried to gain control, yet the boy's emotions still betrayed him. Humans always so quick to panic; the boy needed to be persuaded to be more obliging.

"**I've been preparing you for godhood, boy**" the demon continued. **"Molding your soul into a veritable mountain of energy. Why? Because I want to see you succeed.."**

"Succeed at what?" the boy sounded curious.

"**Succeed at obliterating your enemies. I want to see blood again, I want to see bodies flayed open and dying as you sit triumphant on a throne of fear and bones!"**

Kyuubi felt Naruto's conciousness recoil.

"**Yes, boy, I want to help you become the most powerful and feared entity in all the land, just as I was. I want you to taste that visceral glory, to exult in the primal bloodlust gifted to all alpha predators."**

Kyuubi looked down at the masked ninja held firmly in his grasp; Zabuza was looking for an escape.

**"This man is a stepping stone. His death will propel your career, the story of this battle will grow and multiply as lies feed your legend and the truthseekers grovel and prostrate themselves at your feet. The peasantry will worship you, your peers will envy you, and the current powers will shudder at your potential.." **Kyuubi explained calmly, as if he were a teacher instructing a class. He had grand plans for this boy, and for himself down the road. After all, boys loved the attention and glory that fame offered.. Naruto was no different, and the demon would use that to control his host.

Kyuubi began to squeeze, his hand was like a vice around Zabuza's throat. Naruto didn't try to gain control, didn't implore the demon to stop; the boy was silent.

"**My sons await you in hell, mortal. Tell them their father misses them.. dearly!"**

With a sickening crunch and a wet pop, Zabuza's neck imploded and he died.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

****Hey guys, this is Obi. So I wanted to post the last thing I had stored away on this story. I have been away from writing and the Naruto series for so long that I'm not sure I can finish this story and do it justice. With my fiancée being pregnant, work, etc. I haven't been able to write until NOW. Lo and behold, I tore the ACL in my right knee and now I can't walk! I figured this would be a perfect time to pick up the proverbial pen and dip back into story-crafting. I want to pose a question to my readers (if I still have any); what should I write on? I have ideas for a book I'm going to publish separately, but I would like a side-project to keep the creative juices flowing. If you want more Naruto/Soul Eater I would appreciate a recap on whats happening lately with those series, if you would like to see something else let me know!****


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